Personal Judaic Pilgrimage to China:

NANJING:

 At the age of 77, I set foot on Chinese soil for the seventh time in the past 25 years -- this time to receive a citation as an Honorary Director of Glazer Institute for Judaic Studies at Nanjing University in celebration of the Institute''s 20th Anniversary.  Our ceremony was embedded in a much larger festivity -- the 110th Anniversary of the University.

  What an honor!

 Nothing can compare with sitting with fellow honorees at a table in the front of a tiered lecture hall in the Johns Hopkins building,  hot tea in mugs before us and two screens behind us which projected translations of our words as we spoke.  I was especially delighted to be able to share this with my travelling companions: daughters Tracy and Marla, friend Irv Kaplan, and Cousin Richard Pass.  To add to my personal pleasure, CD''s of Tracy''s original Hebraic melodies provided musical background. It just doesn''t get any better!  All that was missing was my late husband, Jim, the first Jew Xu Xin ever met, and the catalyst for all that has followed (although he did not live to see any of it).

 While Guilford and Diane Glaser were unable to attend the ceremony, they sent a letter stating how proud they were to have their name associated with this world-class initiative -- a thought that was echoed by all the speakers. Their sincere appreciation and support of the Institute was further witnessed by the establishment of the "Diane and Guilford Chair of Jewish and Israel Studies" at Nanjing University during the commemoration.

Professor Hong Yingxing, Party Secretary of Nanjing University, gave the opening remarks, followed by Dr. Aaron Ciechanover, Nobel Laureate of Chemistry for 2004 and professors Dan Schechtman (Technion and 2011 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry), Zhang Qianhong, Vice-President of Zhengzhou University and Director of the Institute of Jewish Studies at Henan University; and Fu Youde, Director of Institute of Judaism and Inter-religious Studies at Shandong University.

 The Glazer Institute then awarded Directorships to Marwyn Samuels, Chairman of XL Holdings International Investment Services, an old China hand and a long time supporter for Jewish studies programs in China, and me, and we each had an opportunity to respond and present scholarships to deserving students.

 When it was my turn to speak, I told the audience that while I had stood on the Great Wall of China six times, always filled with awe, that Wall – magnificent as it is – was not what brought me back to China.  I returned each time not primarily to see what was intended to divide people – a wall – but to work on breaking down walls by participating in what unites them – a bridge -- the unique one provided by the China/Judaic Studies Association, furthering the study of Judaism in China. (A video of the entire session can be seen at http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDAxMDc0NDIw.html)

 Following speeches and coverage by both international and local TV, we all continued to the Institute itself where a plaque honoring Yao Yi-en, Scholar, translator, and Chinese Expert on the study of Shalom Aleichem was unveiled, which formally declared the establishment of Center of Shalom Aleichem Studies in China.  

 Then, Tracy presented 168 CD''s of Hebrew/Jewish music gathered from composers and performers throughout the U.S. to provide the core of a musical archive for the Institute. As she stated during her brief presentation, “Jewish music is central to Jewish worship and celebration, and is an integral component of learning about Judaism and Jewish culture.”  Combined with the 54 CDs she contributed during our 2006 visit to Nanjing, the Institute now houses the largest collection of Jewish music in China.        After that, we had opportunity to sit down with Institute Alumni in an informal setting to learn their current and future plans. All were excited about their careers, and dedicated to their work as faculty members in Judaic Studies spanning many universities including Ludong University, Tianjin Normal University, Henan University of Technology, the Institute of Jewish Studies at Henan University, Henan Normal University, and Zhejiang Normal University.      

 

 

HARBIN

 Following our stay in Nanjing, we headed to the city I had most wanted to see in prior trips: Harbin, and learned far more than I had ever expected. While I had known that Jews had settled there in the days of the Russian Pogroms, I had never realized just how big an influence they had had on the development of the city. First, there were the plaques on many main street buildings, citing the Jews who lived or practiced their professions there. But even more impressive were the signs in the Jewish museum housed in the New Synagogue where notice after notice gave credit to Jewish initiative and foresight in bringing this city from an agricultural to an industrial state.Each plaque bestowed words of high praise, such as the following: 

The people will forever remember the contributions made by the Jewish people to the development of the city.

                                                          or

Harbin Jews brought about numerous economic miracles by bringing into full play their intellectual and business talent and working closely with the Harbin people.

                                                         or

During the first half of the 20th century, Jews brought to China Europe''s latest achievements in social sciences, literature, art and natural sciences. They spread Western culture and brought advanced science and technology to Harbin and to China as a whole. By the mid 1920''s, Jews who pursued intellectual work in the fields of education, law, journalism, medicine, engineering, technology, culture and the arts made up 33.8% of Harbin''s working population. Among them were exceptional individuals, famous professors, excellent journalists, talented pianists and violinists, who were well known both at home and abroad and brought about remarkable achievements....

 I can think of nowhere else in the world where non-Jews have been so fulsome in their appreciation and praise. It was daunting, wonderful, and yet sad as no Jews remain in this city. There are only the empty buildings, the cemetery (where the grandfather of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is buried) and a myriad of decorative Stars of David gracing buildings, staircases, windows, gateways, and tombstones.

BEIJING

         Yes, we saw the magnificent wall again but for me the highlight of the city was meeting Xu Long, author of Money of Ancient Judaea and Israel, a remarkable work by a remarkable man.  Xu is NOT a professional numismatist; he is a professional chef. In fact, he is the head chef in the catering branch of the Great Hall of the People, China''s parliament building in Beijing, supervising more than 200 chefs in the preparation of state banquets. He also travels to other countries, including the US, and will soon head to Turkey to supervise Turkish chefs in the proper preparation of Chinese dishes. If he gives as much care and attention to his culinary skills as he does to his research, his meals must be notable.

Xu Long''s book is both comprehensive and cohesive,  including not only thousands of photos of Jewish and Israeli coins, but also incorporating information on the historical periods of each -- introducing history, religion, culture, art, folk customs, education, science, technology, political and military influences. The 575-page work is a 10-year labor of love, brimming with scholarship. And while we did not get to sample his own cooking, he hosted us for a remarkable meal at a Peking Duck Restaurant, ordering special dishes from his colleague there, and the next day took us on a personal, behind-the-scenes tour of the Great Hall of the People.

WHAT LIES AHEAD

         I do not know if I will get to China again, but hope my children and grandchildren will continue our connection with the Judaic Institute.  Certainly, peripatetic Xu Xin will be back in the U.S. in the near future. Meanwhile, he barely has time to catch his breath. A week after we left, he was being honored for distinguished teaching, and he will participate in Testing Limmud in Beijing on June 3, and the International Conference on Ancient World History in Tianjin from June 16-18, followed by an International Conference on Israel-China Relations: Past and Future in Shanghai from June 21-28.The latter is divided a section on Israeli Studies in China: Introducing One Ancient Civilization to Another, Thursday-Friday, (at Shanghai International Studies University) and Future History: Civil Society vs. State from a Traditional and Modern Perspective, Sunday-Monday (at Fudan University). There is no doubt in any of our minds that China is thriving -- and we are happy to report that the same is true of the Glaser Institute for Judaic Studies at Nanjing University, with 20 years now completed and a bright future.

China Judaic Studies Association

President: Xu Xin: xxinlian@nju.edu.cn