ABSTRACT
In 1998, the 1,000th anniversary was marked of the immigration of Chinese
Jews to Kaifeng, which was at the time, the imperial capital of ancient
China. Despite decades of modern investigation and research, still nobody
can offer any official materials or references concerning Judaism in Kaifeng during this period and the centuries that proceeded. Many questions remain
unanswered relating to what exactly caused their disappearance as an intact
community, how did they behave throughout the centuries and what were
their worldviews and modes of thinking? How close was their relationship
with the Han Chinese? What was the relationship of the Chinese authorities
towards them before 1949 and the establishment of modern China?
