In Search of a Jewish Story in China
Free Virtual Presentation Hosted by
New City Library, New York
Date and Time: May 6th, 7:00 PM EST
Join an art and travel writer Irene Shaland as she takes us on a fascinating expedition, both familiar and unknown, through the 2,000 years of history in China. We will journey along the Silk Road and Gobi Desert, and visit six cities: Harbin, Beijing, Dunhuang, Kaifeng, Luoyang, and Shanghai.
As a Jewish historian, Irene Shaland remains ever attuned to what she calls the Jewish story, an often “endless chain of persecutions, from century to century, from country to country.” However, in China, she uncovered an entirely different chapter in Jewish history, which is divided into two unique narratives: the Jews in China and the Jews of China.
You are invited to discover these fascinating stories and find answers to many perplexing questions:
What are the secrets of the Gobi Desert and the Silk Road?
What do the most anti-Semitic of Russian Tsars, a railroad, a Chinese fishing village, and Russian-Yiddish culture have in common?
How did it happen that a port city in China occupied by the Japanese became a safe haven for thousands of European Jews during World War II?
What important lessons can we learn today from the history of the Chinese Jews?
Finally, why did the Jews of China disappear? And – did they really?
To register follow the link to the New City Library website: https://newcity.librarycalendar.com/event/search-jewish-story-china-43823
Read about Jews in China in Irene Shaland’s book “The Dao of Being Jewish and Other Stories: Tales of Jewish Diaspora, Persecution, the Holocaust and Rebirth in Europe, Africa and Asia.” https://amzn.to/2T1u5kK
This is a short excerpt from Irene Shaland’s lecture presented on December 1, 2013 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In this episode, Irene talks about the origins and development of Buddhism in China.
