A Mikveh In Beijing

Beijing, China — Jewish history in China traces all the way back to the 8th century when Jewish merchants working the “silk road” arrived from Persia. In 1163 the emperor of China ordered the Jews to live in Kaifeng, where they were welcomed and built the first Chinese synagogue. Marco Polo recorded that Kublai Khan celebrated the festivals of the Muslims, Christians, and Jews, indicating that there was a significant number of Jews in China during the 13th Century.

This number dwindled with assimilation and emigration over the centuries, although there was an attempt in the 1900’s to increase the local population through immigration. However, the small community was further decimated when most of the Chinese Jews fled when the Communists took over in 1949.

In recent years, with the opening of commercial contacts with China, Jews have made significant inroads there. As of this writing, there are at least six Chabad Houses in China.

The Beijing Chabad House is under the direction of Rabbi Shimon and Dini Freundlich. Presently, 800 Jews call Beijing home. Admirably, Rabbi Freundlich gathers 200 Jews for his weekly Shabbos minyan, including Satmar chassidim who are in Beijing on business. To that end, Der Yid, the Satmar weekly newspaper based in Williamsburg, had a report on the recent spectacular Chabad sheluchim convention in New York. Chabad sheluchim today number more than 4,000 serving nobly around the globe.

In recognition of the need for a mikveh in Beijing, Volf Lefkowitz and Avrohom Boruch Godinger, Satmar chassidim, donated $150,000 to rebuild, renew and expand the Beijing mikveh. Their efforts have seen a major increase in the usage of the mikveh as well as an increase in observant practice.

Satmar chassidim build a mikveh for Chabad’s outreach in Beijing, China, in a true display of ahavas Yisrael.