Chinese in Israel
Encyclopedia
The Chinese in Israel comprise a few separate groups. There are small groups of Jews from China
who have made aliyah
, as well as foreign students studying in Israeli universities, businessmen, merchants, and guest workers in construction.
One early immigrant to Israel of Chinese background was the mother of Eli Marom
; she was born to a Chinese man and a Russian émigré
woman, and came to Israel in 1955, where she married Marom's father. Marom himself would go on to become Israel's first high-ranking military officer of Chinese descent when in 2007 he was appointed Aluf
of the Israeli Navy. Another early migrant was Sara Imas, a former Chinese citizen
with a German Jewish father and Jiangsu
mother, who was born and raised in China and lived through the Cultural Revolution
. She came to Israel in 1991, but later returned to Shanghai as the representative of a diamond company after gaining Israeli citizenship and living in Israel for 12 years.
In 2005, private organisation Shavei Israel
began assisting Kaifeng
's Jewish descendants
to make aliyah
, first bringing them to Israel
and then preparing them to undertake Orthodox conversion to Judaism
, in order to legally qualify to remain under the Law of Return
. The first of the roughly 3,000 Jewish descendants in the city to arrive was Shlomo Jin. Jin arrived in Israel in 2005 with his wife Dina and daughter Shalva. Most of Kaifeng's Jewish descendants are of patrilineal rather than matrilineal Jewish descent
. As a result, Israeli religious courts
have required them to undergo Orthodox
conversions
in order to be recognised as Jews. Jin himself, who came on a tourist visa and overstayed, was almost deported before his right to remain was recognised. By 2011, Shavei Israel had taken 14 people from China through the process of immigration and conversion. Founder Michael Freund states that his organisation would like to bring more, but that complex Israeli bureaucratic and religious procedures form a barrier to this goal.
In many cases, Chinese workers are deported because of the misdeeds of their employer. An Israeli State Comptroller's report from 1998 highlighted the situation whereby if an employer did not pay the requisite fees, his workers would be arrested as a sanction. If the employer was caught moving the workers to a different place than specified by their visas, the workers would be arrested and deported.
said: "I just don't understand why a restaurant needs a slant-eye to serve me my meal." He was heavily rebuked for the comment
Employers have also been known in isolated circumstances to impose humiliating restrictions on Chinese workers in their employment contracts. In 2003, a report by The Guardian
stated that Chinese workers at an unspecified company had been required to agree not to have sex with or marry Israeli women, including prostitutes, as a condition of getting a job. Israeli lawyers, however, claim that these contracts violate Israeli law, and would under no circumstances be enforceable.
History of the Jews in China
Jews and Judaism in China have had a long history. Jewish settlers are documented in China as early as the 7th or 8th century CE, but may have arrived during the mid Han Dynasty, or even as early as 231 BCE. Relatively isolated communities developed through the Tang and Song Dynasties Jews and...
who have made aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
, as well as foreign students studying in Israeli universities, businessmen, merchants, and guest workers in construction.
Chinese who have made aliyah
Eli Marom
Aluf Eliezer "Eli" Marom was the Commander of the Israeli Navy in the years 2007-2011.-Biography:Marom's parents met in China, where his German-born father was living as a refugee during World War II. His maternal grandmother was a Russian-born Jew who had emigrated to China, and his maternal...
; she was born to a Chinese man and a Russian émigré
White Emigre
A white émigré was a Russian who emigrated from Russia in the wake of the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War, and who was in opposition to the contemporary Russian political climate....
woman, and came to Israel in 1955, where she married Marom's father. Marom himself would go on to become Israel's first high-ranking military officer of Chinese descent when in 2007 he was appointed Aluf
Aluf
Aluf is the term used for General and Admiral in the Israel Defense Forces . In addition to the Aluf rank itself, there are four other ranks which are derivatives of the word...
of the Israeli Navy. Another early migrant was Sara Imas, a former Chinese citizen
Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China
The Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China regulates citizenship in the People's Republic of China . Such citizenship is obtained by birth when at least one parent is of Chinese nationality or by naturalization....
with a German Jewish father and Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
mother, who was born and raised in China and lived through the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. She came to Israel in 1991, but later returned to Shanghai as the representative of a diamond company after gaining Israeli citizenship and living in Israel for 12 years.
In 2005, private organisation Shavei Israel
Shavei Israel
Shavei Israel is an Israeli-based Jewish organization that reaches out to descendants of Jews around the world and aims to strengthen their connection with Israel and the Jewish people. Founded by Michael Freund, Shavei Israel locates lost Jews and hidden Jewish communities and assists them with...
began assisting Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
's Jewish descendants
Kaifeng Jews
The Kaifeng Jews are members of a small Jewish community that has existed in Kaifeng, in the Henan province of China, for hundreds of years. Jews in modern China have traditionally called themselves Youtai in Mandarin Chinese which is also the predominant contemporary Chinese language term for...
to make aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
, first bringing them to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and then preparing them to undertake Orthodox conversion to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism is a formal act undertaken by a non-Jewish person who wishes to be recognised as a full member of the Jewish community. A Jewish conversion is both a religious act and an expression of association with the Jewish people...
, in order to legally qualify to remain under the Law of Return
Law of Return
The Law of Return is Israeli legislation, passed on 5 July 1950, that gives Jews the right of return and settlement in Israel and gain citizenship...
. The first of the roughly 3,000 Jewish descendants in the city to arrive was Shlomo Jin. Jin arrived in Israel in 2005 with his wife Dina and daughter Shalva. Most of Kaifeng's Jewish descendants are of patrilineal rather than matrilineal Jewish descent
Who is a Jew?
"Who is a Jew?" is a basic question about Jewish identity and considerations of Jewish self-identification. The question is based in ideas about Jewish personhood which themselves have cultural, religious, genealogical, and personal dimensions...
. As a result, Israeli religious courts
Beth din
A beth din, bet din, beit din or beis din is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel...
have required them to undergo Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
conversions
Conversion to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism is a formal act undertaken by a non-Jewish person who wishes to be recognised as a full member of the Jewish community. A Jewish conversion is both a religious act and an expression of association with the Jewish people...
in order to be recognised as Jews. Jin himself, who came on a tourist visa and overstayed, was almost deported before his right to remain was recognised. By 2011, Shavei Israel had taken 14 people from China through the process of immigration and conversion. Founder Michael Freund states that his organisation would like to bring more, but that complex Israeli bureaucratic and religious procedures form a barrier to this goal.
Guest workers
In 2001, the number of Chinese workers in Israel has been estimated to be 23,000, of whom less than half are employed. Many are remaining in the country and working in violation of the terms of their visas.Entrance into Israel
In 2001, there is evidence of Chinese workers paying as much as US$19,000 just for the opportunity to get a visa to Israel and work there. This is usually paid by illegal loans to which family members are guarantors. It has been estimated that about 70 percent of those payments go to Israeli manpower companies. Workers are promised wages as high as US$1500, but sometimes find their actual wages are as low as only US$200. The manpower companies also often retain the passports of workers, allegedly for safekeeping purposes, and force the workers to pay a fine to get their passports back.Deportation
Chinese workers are in the worst situation of all the nationalities working in Israel since most of them are unable to speak Hebrew or English, have no community in the country to help them - as most of the other nationalities have - and are totally at the mercy of their employers. If something is wrong with their visa, if they have been brought to do a job that they are untrained for, or if they try to leave an employer who ignores their rights, they are immediately liable to be deported.In many cases, Chinese workers are deported because of the misdeeds of their employer. An Israeli State Comptroller's report from 1998 highlighted the situation whereby if an employer did not pay the requisite fees, his workers would be arrested as a sanction. If the employer was caught moving the workers to a different place than specified by their visas, the workers would be arrested and deported.
Anti-Chinese racism
In 2001, then-labor and social affairs minister Shlomo BenizriShlomo Benizri
Shlomo Benizri is an Israeli politician and member of the Shas party. He represented Shas in the Knesset between 1992 and 2008, serving as Deputy Health Minister, Minister of Health, and Labor and Social Welfare Minister during the late 1990s and early 2000s...
said: "I just don't understand why a restaurant needs a slant-eye to serve me my meal." He was heavily rebuked for the comment
Employers have also been known in isolated circumstances to impose humiliating restrictions on Chinese workers in their employment contracts. In 2003, a report by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
stated that Chinese workers at an unspecified company had been required to agree not to have sex with or marry Israeli women, including prostitutes, as a condition of getting a job. Israeli lawyers, however, claim that these contracts violate Israeli law, and would under no circumstances be enforceable.
See also
- Israelis in ChinaIsraelis in ChinaIsraelis in China, as compared to other foreign communities, are not large in number. There are at most a few hundred in each of a few major cities, and possibly more scattered around in other locations outside of the major cities.- Beijing :...
- People's Republic of China – Israel relations