The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1906-10-23
FEW CHINESE JEWS LEFT
THOSE REMAINING SCARCELY
AWARE OF THEIR ORIGIN.

AWARE OF THEIR ORIGIN
Ignorant Of Their Religion-Scattered
Poor, Without Schools, Houses of
Worship, or Rolls Of the Law, They
Are Fast Dying Out in Obscurty
For more than two thousand years
there has been a colony OF Jews es-
tablished at KaifengfI. China. The eX-
act date of their entrance into the
country is not known, but Il is sup
posed from a tablet found in their syn
agogues at that place that they must
have appeared there about 500 b. c.,
although IL may have been as late
as 5S A. ID. 1t is not until the third
or fourth century that they are men
toned in Chinese annals. says the
Cleveland Leader when their syna-
gogue is referred TO by a Chinese
writer as a heaven spirit monastery
Western Persia is given as their start
rpg point, by which Persia is probably
meant, because OF the number of Per
sian words which are used by the
Chinese Hebrews
Mr.. Ezra, who is an authority on
The subject thinks that there is no
good reason for the theory that the
Chinese Hebrew are descended from
the ten tribes. There are many refer
ences to these Hebrews from the year
SIS. An Arabian writer mentions
them as one of the sects that persisted
in a general massacre at Khanfu, but
in $50 and 95S there are records of the
Chinese district officials comforting
honors on Hebrews, and in 11G3 the
erection of a synagogue was begun in
Kaifengfu
Hebrews were invited to Pellin to
join the Imperial army. In the fiji
teenth century there were many He
brew communities in China. The best
information VIC have about these com
munities comes through the Jesuits
who entered Pekin at the end OF the
sixteenth century.
The discovery of the Chinese He
brews was made by Father Ricci, one
OF the first Jesuits TO enter China.
Early in the seventeenth century,
one summer day in Pekin, a visitor.
prompted by rumors OF the arrival of
certain foreigners who worshipped a.
single God and yet were not Moham-
medans, called on Father Ricci. The
missionary, noticing the difference Of
features from the ordinary Chinese,
led him TO the oratory and knelt on
his knees before a picture of the Vir-
gin with the infant Jesus and st. John
the Baptist. Nearby was another pic
tIre representing four of the apostles.
1--WE in China do reverence to our an
cestors. This is Rebecca with her
sons Jacob and Esau, but as TO the
other picture, who make obeisance to
only four sons of Jacob; were there
not twelve?"
Returning to the former apartment
mutual explanations followed and an
unforeseen solution ensued. The
stranger was Hebrew, Ngai by name,
who had come to Pekin from Kaifeng-
fu to procure literary honors He
stated that in his city there were some
twelve families of Israelites with a
fair synagogue. i'm which they pre-
served roll of the law more than
four hundred years old, and in Hang
CHOW, the capital of Chekiang, there
were many more families, also with
synagogue.
Scattered over the length and
breadth of China there were others
of his sect. but these were gradually
being lost from having no meeting
place When shown a Bible in He
brew he confessed his inability to
read 1t. though he recognized the char
acters He said that his preference
for Gentle literature subjected him to
many reprcaches from the chief of the
synagogue. Father Ricci was able to
test the truth OF these statements. and
despatched some Chinese Christian
messengers to KaifengfI for the pur-
pose of investigation and soon re-
ceived visits from other native He
brews
The condition of the Chinese He
brews has been declining very fast
since that time A missionary i'm 1865
found them In an Impoverished con-
ditiOn They had been obliged TO tear
down part Of their synagogue 20 sell
&C. Finally some thirty years later. a
society for the rescue Of these people
was established. and in response to an
urgent Invitation eight Chinese He
brews left Kaifcugfu for Shanghai
They arrived in that city in March
1902. where they were cordially re-
ceiyed by the Hebrew colony Qucs-
toned ms to- their Observance of their
ancient religion these Hebrews adj
mitted that their faith was rapidly de-