First ever community Seder to be held in Kaifeng
Shavei Chairman Michael Freund with Nany Goldstein and Chinese Jews
The Jewish community in Kaifeng will be holding its first-ever community Seder this Passover. Nearly 100 members of this ancient Chinese Jewish community are expected to attend the Seder, which is being sponsored by Shavei Israel and will be conducted by 28-year-old Tzuri (Heng) Shi, one of the 7 young Chinese Jewish men whom Shavei Israel helped make aliyah and return to Judaism over the past several years. (See our past coverage here.)
Tzuri arrived in Kaifeng two weeks ago along with Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund; Shavei’s Educational Director Rabbi Eliyahu Birnbaum; and Rabbi Hanoch Avitzedek, Shavei Israel’s director for the Kaifeng Jewish community,. They were joined by Eran Barzilay, our Israel-based coordinator for outreach to Kaifeng, and Nany Goldstein, who is serving as Shavei Israel’s emissary in Kaifeng (we’ll have a profile of Nany in an upcoming issue of the Roots newsletter).
Perhaps of equal importance to the distinguished visitors was what was in Tzuri’s luggage: a wide range of items he’ll need to conduct the Seder, including kosher matzah from Israel; Kosher for Passover wine and cakes; traditional red horseradish and charoset (the sweet, dark-colored paste made of fruits and nuts eaten at the Seder to remember the “mortar” used by the Israelite slaves in their forced work); and enough copies of the Passover Haggadot (the traditional book that explains the order of the Seder) prepared by Shavei Israel in both Hebrew and Chinese, for use by the community.
Putting together the Kaifeng Seder and procuring (and shipping) all the required items has taken significant time and expense. Your generous contribution will ensure that this is just the beginning for the steadfast Jewish community along the Yellow River. If you’d like to help sponsor Kaifeng’s first ever community Seder, please visit our Support page and make a note that your donation is for the “Chinese Seder.”
“We are very proud and excited to organize this historic event,” said Shavei Israel Chairman Freund. “Kaifeng’s Jewish descendants are a link between China and the Jewish people, and it is very moving to see the remnants of this community returning to their Jewish roots as they prepare for Passover.”
We have pictures of Shavei Israel’s recent visit to China below.
