Re: "Real" and "Fake" Jews
Posted: Sat Nov 09, 2024 11:13 am
Regarding the question of Asian Jews, I have honestly not given it much thought. I have seen various theories or explanations as to how Judaism made its way into Asia, perhaps the most interesting of which is that of the Kaifeng Jews in China:Nazgul wrote: ↑Sat Nov 09, 2024 10:13 am Do you think the Asian Jews are merely those who adopted Judaism similar to the Khazars.? I am of the thought that the real Jews of old times were the Habiru (Abraham, Joseph etc) who certainly did interact negatively with the Egyptians, a major threat. Not sure if the modern version are related to Habiru, though they may call themselves Hebrews. Many scholars believe that the Habiru were the original Hebrews, based on the term's etymological connection to the word "Hebrew".
Who are the Habiru of the Amarna Letters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaifeng_Jews
I cannot speak to it much beyond that. I think their relatively small population to overall Judaism, as well as geopolitical distance from the main Jewish power sphere, has kept them largely off my radar. As China's power has grown, I have become more interested, just have not yet looked into it much. I have noted that certain parts of China have a great deal of respect/appreciation for [Western] Jews, with some Chinese libraries having entire sections dedicated to Jewish best practices in finance and the like. There have also been instances of Jews marrying into wealthy/elite Chinese families (and this being seen as extremely positive, among those Chinese families). And of course, there is the role of certain Jews in the early Maoist/Communist era (as the 'usual suspects').