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Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
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Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
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January 30, 2012
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Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
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Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
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David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
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January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
June 22, 2004
/ 3 Tamuz, 5764
How Wen-Jing Became ‘Shalva’
By
Michael Freund
Chinese Jewish descendant returns to Judaism
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
For the first time, a descendant of the once-vibrant Jewish community of Kaifeng, China, has undergone conversion in Israel and formally returned to Judaism.
This past Sunday, Jin Wen-Jing, an 18-year-old student at the Yemin Orde youth village, went before a Haifa conversion court under the auspices of the Chief Rabbinate.
 | | Jin Wen-Jing holding her official conversion certificate from the Chief Rabbinate, together with Yemin Orde Director Dr. Chaim Peri (left) and educator Rabbi Zev Rubens (right) |
After administering an oral examination aimed at assessing her commitment to Judaism as well as her knowledge of Jewish law and tradition, the three rabbis comprising the Beit Din informed Wen-Jing that they had decided to accept her as a Jew.
Speaking in fluent Hebrew, Wen-Jing was quick to express her joy, and relief, at the court's decision. "I was very nervous, but now I am very happy," she said. "This has always been my family's dream — to return to our roots."
Wen-Jing arrived in Israel four years ago with her parents. Her father, Jin Guang-Yuan, who now goes by the name Shlomo, is a direct descendant of the Jewish community that existed for nearly a thousand years in the city of Kaifeng, which lies north of Beijing, on the south bank of the Yellow River.
At its peak, during the Ming Dynasty, Kaifeng Jewry numbered about 5,000 people. But widespread intermarriage and assimilation, as well as the death of the community's last rabbi, brought about its demise by the middle of the 19th century.
Scholars say there are still hundreds of people in Kaifeng who cling to their identity as descendants of the town's Jewish community.
Wen-Jing's father still carries with him a copy of his internal Chinese identification card, which lists his nationality as "Youtai," or Jew.
He and his wife hope to follow in their daughter's footsteps and undergo conversion soon.
Since her arrival in Israel, Wen-Jing has been studying at Yemin Orde under the guidance of the youth village's director, Dr. Chaim Peri, as well Rabbi Zev Rubens, an educator who oversees the school's conversion program, both of whom accompanied her to the beis din
She has decided to adopt the name Shalva (serenity), which is the Hebrew translation of her Chinese given name. Currently in the midst of her matriculation exams, Wen-Jing will shortly enter the National Service (Sherut Leumi) program for religious girls, and will perform her national service at Shaarei Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem.
Why did she decide to convert?
"G-d chose the Jewish people to be His nation, and I wanted to be a part of it," said Wen-Jing, smiling.
"G-d has performed many miracles for Israel," she said, adding, "The fact that I have come here from China, and made it all the way here, back to my people — that too is a miracle."
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading."
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JWR contributor Michael Freund served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning under former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Comment by clicking here.
© 2004, Michael Freund
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