Asian Jews - Defying stereotypes in the Jewish community

Jewish News Weekly of Nor Cal ^ | 2/3/05 | lydia lee

[Citizen James]

When Wendell Gee goes Israeli folk dancing, he leaves part of his shy Clark Kent personality behind. He leaps around the room to the latest Israeli pop hits, holding hands with other dancers in a tightly packed circle. He asks women to dance, quivering with anxiety and excitement as he leads his partners through the set.

Gee, who is Chinese and of slight build, doesn’t do any other form of social dancing. He started Israeli dancing as a form of religious expression, and he occasionally wears a kippah — one of the only men in the dance group to do so. He’s an Orthodox Jew, a Jew-by-choice who converted three years ago.

In the Bay Area, Asians are the second largest ethnic group following Latinos. Nobody knows the number of Asian Jews since Jewish organizations have not tracked them. But given the high rates of intermarriage (approximately 50 percent of Jews marrying today) and adoption of babies from China, it seems a safe assumption that people who are Asian and also Jewish will not be as much of an anomaly in the future.

At the moment, even in the politically aware Bay Area, people still scratch their heads when confronted with the reality of multiculturalism.

“I’ll get, ‘You’re not Jewish. Are you really Jewish?’ Things of that nature. They’re really surprised,” says Gee, who lives in Fremont. When he applied for a job at a local Safeway and told them that he needed Friday sunset to Saturday sunset off for Shabbat, the hiring manager was incredulous.

[TFine80]

Aren't all Jews Asian in a certain sense?

[Avenger]

I saw an Indian man at the market the other day who was an orthodox Jew. I couldn't help but stare a little. I know there are some small but fairly old Jewish communities in India but I didn't expect to run into a person from such a community. It was kinda cool.

[Iam1ru1-2]

I don't think the Ashkenazim and the Sephardim are considered Asian. And I think the rest are called Near Easterners. Since they are descendents of Abraham, they could be considered Mesopotamians, or in the modern lingo: Iraqis.{;>)

[cyborg]

I tried to convert once. It became patently obvious that it'd be next to impossible for me to assume that life in America.

[Nachum]

I know a number of Asian orthodox Jews. More and more in the community.

[Kurt_D]

I know this guy who is an Israeli of Indian ancestry. He looks totally Indian, but his names (first and last, of course) are 100% Hebrew and he is more or less religious.

[yevgenie]

The oldest synagogue in the world is in Cochin, Kerala, India.

[Swede Girl]

There were the Khazars, who were Turkish , who converted sometime in the 700's who are thought to be ancestors of many European Jews. There was an Asian influence there.

[Red Sea Swimmer]

Yes, I visited there in 1991. A very pretty little site as well. By the way, the curry in Kerala is so hot the kids need to be at least twelve years old to eat it. Up North around Himachal Pradesh the kids only have to be four years old.

:)

[paudio]

I believe there's a Chinese Jews community that last for several centuries...