Matzah and Marco Polo

The Omega Letter ^ | June 29, 2011 | Wendy Wippel

[jjotto]

http://www.aish.com/jw/s/48937262.html

...Historical references and archaeological findings have proven that the Persian Jews first arrive in China in the eighth century; and since the long, arduous journey made family life difficult, the solution was to establish a permanent base in China. The location of choice was Kaifeng – China’s capital from 927BCE to 1127CE.

A stone tablet dating back to the 1489 Kaifeng synagogue – which is now in the city museum – in inscribed with the following: “According to the commandment of their god, the Jews came from Tian-Sho (Chinese for both “India” and “every state to the west of China”) with woven materials from the west in their hands, meant as a gift for the emperor.”

The last emperor, according to the tablet, said “welcome to our country; dwell here and keep the customs of your ancestors”.

The emperor’s warm welcome provided them with automatic Chinese citizenship, not a trifle feat at a time the Jewish communities in Europe and the Muslim countries were suffering persecution. It is believed that one of the reasons for this show of tolerance was that the Chinese of the time did not have a “religion” in the sense of any of the three monotheistic faiths: The common practices of faith based on the teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucius, were an array of ethical and behavioral codes more than the belief of religious ordinances commanded by a higher power.

Kaifeng’s Jews found it easy to adhere to Confucianism since it doesn’t require the recognition of a new Messiah or prophet and there was no need to give up on the rules of keeping kosher or observing the holidays...

[Bockscar]

A ping for your list

[Bockscar]

Thank you for posting. This is interesting.

[Elendur]

i’ve read other stories, of Israel gathering it’s “lost sheep”. but this is the best yet.

this part is so sad and haunting. to know they had the true about the one true God, and couldn’t read it...

“Cut off from the rest of the nation of Israel for hundreds of years, now bereft of an understanding of Hebrew, the remnant in Kaifeng set up a Torah scroll in the public square and offered a reward for any traveler who could interpret their Scriptures, but no passersby were able to take advantage of the offer.

One Kaifeng Israelite wrote this to a friend… “with tears in our eyes and with offerings of incenses do we implore that our religion may again flourish. We sought everywhere, but could find none who understood the letter of the Great Country (i.e. Hebrew), which causes us deep sorrow.” “

[Yaelle]

Seriously fascinating.

[ColoCdn]

Thanks for this.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

[Tainan]

Thanks, as always. Great informational post.

[Tainan]

Thanks for the additional link.

Great reference.

[Uri’el-2012]

Blessing !

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach

[Uri’el-2012]

Blessings for the link !

[left that other site]

Wonderful! Thank you for posting this.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Rebelbase]

Fascinating.

[SuzyQue]

“Seven young Kaifeng men applied for residency in Israel under the Law of Return in 2008 and arrived a year later— fulfilling, after ostensibly three thousand years, a promise of God:

“Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, And these from the land of Sinim.” Isaiah 49:12 “

Wow.

[Squidpup]

Thanks!

Worth repeating:

“God keeps his promises. Predictably. Historically. Verifiably. Every time.

And sometimes we get to watch it happen.”

[colorado tanker]

Fascinating post. Thanks!

I had to look it up Kaifeng is in Henan Province, south of Beijing.

[SunkenCiv]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2486342/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1614676/posts?page=10#10

[SunkenCiv]

Quest For The Lost Tribes Simcha Jacobovici, director VHS