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Anson Laytner
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The Chinese Jews of Kaifeng: A Millennium of Adaptation and Endurance Hardcover – July 21, 2017

by Anson H. Laytner (Editor, Contributor), Jordan Paper (Editor, Contributor), Alex Bender (Contributor),
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
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This scholarly collection examines the origins, history, and contemporary nature of Chinese Judaism in the community of Kaifeng. These essays, written by a diverse, international team of contributors, explore the culture and history of this thousand-year-old Jewish community, whose synthesis of Chinese and Jewish cultures helped guarantee its survival. Part I of this study analyzes the origin and historical development of the Kaifeng community, as well as the unique cultural synthesis it engendered. Part II explores the contemporary nature of this Chinese Jewish community, particularly examining the community’s relationship to Jewish organizations outside of China, the impact of Western Jewish contact, and the tenuous nature of Jewish identity in Kaifeng.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    290 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Lexington Books
  4. Publication date
    July 21, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    6.29 x 1.13 x 9.35 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1498550266
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1498550260
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Never has so much been written about so few," the editors of this diverse collection of articles concerning the Kaifeng (China) Jewish community concede. The 12 chapters (some by specialists, others by amateurs; some original, others reprinted; some new, others dated) range from antiquity to the present and vary greatly in quality. Most were previously delivered at conferences of the Sino-Judaic Institute. Valuable recent scholarship by Xu Xin and Lihong Song, among others, receives little notice here, while a "fictionalized" biography of Zhao Yingcheng and a political screed against supposed "right-wing messianic Zionist organizations" currently operating in China are printed in full. Still, the best articles—the discussion of recent interactions with Western Jews (including Israelis)—and the recommended reading list make this volume a useful addition to the already considerable literature on the subject. For specialized collections. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. ― Choice Reviews

This book attests to the importance of international collaboration with the goal of bringing forth different opinions from diverse perspectives. The contributors thoroughly explore the 1,000-year history of the Kaifeng Jews. Although the existing scholarship on this topic is not scarce, this collection offers fresh information and in-depth analysis of that long history. ― Journal of Global South Studies

The monumental three-volume compilation Chinese Jews: A Compilation of Matters Relating to the Jews of K’aifeng by the Canadian Anglican bishop of Kaifeng William C. White, published in Toronto in 1942, stands out as the first of its kind. . . The detailed analyses and conclusions of Rabbi Laytner perfect our understanding of the situation and are truly enlightening. ― China Review International

A Millennium of Adaptation and Endurance—with these words Anson H. Laytner and Jordan Paper capture exactly why a small community of Chinese Jews in old Kaifeng attracts so much interest. These Jews lasted a thousand years, adapted their Judaism to China, and thus preserved it; they endured. In this important study, twelve scholars explore many aspects of this fascinating encounter between two of the oldest living civilizations. -- Shalom Salomon Wald, Jewish People Policy Institute

This volume breaks new ground in the burgeoning field of Sino-Judaic Studies. Here, for the first time, is an authoritative collection of essays by major scholars piecing together the puzzle of the Kaifeng Jews—arguably one of the most resilient Jewish communities in the world. Spanning over nine centuries of both Chinese and Jewish history, this volume illuminates afresh questions about acculturation, social customs, and religious rituals that enabled a small minority to thrive and to pass down across the generations a kernel of generative identity, which is both genuinely Chinese and deeply Jewish. Drawing upon a wide variety of sources (ancient and modern, oral testimonies and journalistic accounts) this volume provides a fascinating read for the general public and researchers alike. -- Vera Schwarcz, Wesleyan University; author of Colors of Veracity: A Quest for Truth in China, and Beyond

This volume offers new insights and unparalleled perspectives regarding some of the most recent and pressing developments of the Kaifeng Jewish community, which has existed for over a millennium. In this seminal collection, the contributors unveil the Jewry of Kaifeng, from ancient times to the current crisis. Clear, persuasive, and thought-provoking, this book is a must read for anyone seeking to understand the unique role of the Kaifeng Jews in the history of Jewish diaspora. In short, this study is an invaluable contribution to the existing literature. -- Xu Xin, Nanjing University

This collection is a magnificent and accurate examination of the epic story of the Chinese Jews of Kaifeng, as told by the topics leading scholars. This up-to-date book is a valuable addition to this most fascinating yet little-known community. Readers will be most appreciative and indebted to the two outstanding editors of this volume. -- Rabbi Marvin Tokayer, author of The Fugu Plan: The Untold Story of the Japanese and the Jews during World War II

About the Author

Anson H. Laytner is former president of the Sino-Judaic Institute and the author of Arguing with God: A Jewish Tradition.

Jordan Paper is professor emeritus of East Asian and religious studies at York University and author of The Theology of the Chinese Jews, 1000–1850.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lexington Books (July 21, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 290 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1498550266
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1498550260
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.29 x 1.13 x 9.35 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

About the author

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Anson Laytner

Anson Laytner

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Anson Laytner is a happily retired rabbi, living in Seattle, whose career focused on building positive interfaith and interethnic relations in our community.

During his career, he served as program manager for Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry's Interreligious Initiative, as a hospice chaplain at the Kline Galland Home and a grant-writer for the Jewish Family Service of Seattle, as interim rabbi at Congregation Kol HaNeshamah, and as executive director of the Seattle Chapter of the American Jewish Committee and of Multifaith Works, a Seattle non-profit agency that served people with AIDS. He also directed the Seattle Jewish Federation's Community Relations Council.

He is the author of the cult classic “Arguing with God”; “The Mystery of Suffering and the Meaning of God”; “Choosing Life After Tragedy”; and his first (and probably only) novel “The Forgotten Commandment”. He co-authored with Dan Bridge, “The Animals’ Lawsuit Against Humanity” and co-edited with Jordan Paper “The Chinese Jews of Kaifeng”.

As a volunteer, Laytner serves as president of the Sino-Judaic Institute and edits its journal, Points East. He is a past president of Northwest Interfaith and also served on the advisory board of End of Life Washington. He is an active supporter of the New Israel Fund and J Street.

Laytner has a BA, summa cum laude, from York University in Toronto, a Masters of Hebrew Letters (MAHL) and rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College, a Masters in Not-for-Profit Leadership (MNPL) from Seattle University, and an honorary Doctorate in Divinity from Hebrew Union College.

Rabbi Laytner is married to Richelle Harrell. He has two living daughters, three sons-in-law and five grandkids.

For more information or to contact him, go to ansonlaytner dot com.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
4 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael Lewyn
4.0 out of 5 stars interesting history
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2017
At some point in the Middle Ages, a group of Jews (probably merchants from Iraq) moved to Kaifeng, China. This group grew and flourished for several hundred years, and inexplicably declined in the 1700s and 1800s. The first half of this book discusses the history of the Kaifeng community, with special emphasis on Kaifeng Jews who joined the Chinese bureaucracy.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, this community become impoverished and lost its ties to Jewish observance. (The book doesn't clearly explain what went wrong). Their synagogue was torn down, and they married non-Jewish spouses. Because of these intermarriages, the Kaifeng Jews have not been Jewish under Jewish law for many years. But even today some of their descendants think of themselves as Jews, even if they have no clear idea of what that means.

The last couple of chapters, focusing on recent developments, are the most interesting. In the 2000s and early 2010s, groups from Israel and the West came to Kaifeng, instructed a few of the citizens about Judaism, and even persuaded twenty or so of them to convert and move to Israel. But over the last two years the Chinese bureaucracy has cracked down on Jewish life and expelled foreign outreach groups; although the Chinese government is perfectly willing to tolerate expatriate Jewish communities, it fears any sort of proseltyizing.
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Eric Maroney
4.0 out of 5 stars Covering the Old Well
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2017
The Chinese Jews of Kaifeng: A Millennium of Adaptation and Endurance, edited by Laytner and Paper, is divided into two parts, Past and Present. By far the past is the most interesting section, with the papers by Berstein and Paper examining the unique Chinese Jewish elements which characterized the Kaifeng community during its prime.

The Present is far less interesting, as it is readily apparent the ancestors of the Kaifeng Jews show little interest in returning to Judaism in any meaningful sense. Although some of the essays on the Chinese government crackdown on attempts by descendants of Chinese Jews and Western Jews at reviving the religion are fascinating.

Judaism is not an “official” religion in China. The Chinese government is wary of religions they don’t understand or control, as some of the most destabilizing wars in Chinese history (like the Taiping Rebellion) were led by messianic figures at the helm of east/west hybrid religions.

The Chinese government even covered the old well on the former grounds of the Kaifeng synagogue with gravel, the only remnant of the building on site, the last bit of the synagogue in situ!
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Top reviews from other countries

C.S.
5.0 out of 5 stars informative
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
Good survey of the Jews of Kaifeng
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