Jewish Communities in Modern Asia
Their Rise, Demise and Resurgence

A pioneering exploration of the Jewish communities across the Asian continent and their dramatic rise and fall in modern times

Rotem Kowner (Edited by)

9781009162586, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 15 June 2023

446 pages
23.5 x 15.6 x 2.4 cm, 0.83 kg

'With the growth of scholarly interest in the subject of historical and emerging Jewish communities in Asia and the Pacific region, this excellent volume will be more than welcome.' Tudor Parfitt, Distinguished University Professor, Florida International University, author of Judaising Movements: Studies in the Margins of Judaism (2013) and The Lost Tribes of Israel (2002)

Jewish settlement in Asia, beyond the Middle East, is largely a modern phenomenon. Imperial expansion and adventurism by Great Britain and Russia were the chief motors that initially drove Jewish settlers to move eastwards, in the nineteenth century, combined as this was with the rise of port cities and general development of the global economy. The new immigrants soon become centrally involved, in ways quite disproportionate to their numbers, in Asian commerce. Their role and centrality finished with the outbreak of World War II, the chaos that resulted from the fighting, and the consequent collapse of Western imperialism. This unique, ground-breaking book charts their rise and fall while pointing to signs of these communities' post-war resurgence and revival. Fourteen chapters by many of the most prominent authorities in the field, from a range of perspectives, explore questions of identity, society, and culture across several Asian locales. It is essential reading for scholars of Asian Studies and Jewish Studies.

1. Jewish communities in modern Asia: background, significance and main questions Rotem Kowner
Part I. Central and North Asia: Old and new communities in Russia's shadow
2. The end of the 'Jewish Triangle': geography and mobility in Central Asia Thomas Loy
3. The Soviet wartime evacuation to Central Asia and the Jews: cultural encounters and literary responses Anna P. Ronell
4. Frontier Jews: the communities of Siberia and their architecture Anna Berezin and Vladimir Levine
Part II. South Asia: Identity and culture in British and independent India
5. Jewish communities in the Indian subcontinent: torn between Indian nationalism and Zionism Nathan Katz, Joan G. Roland, and Ithamar Theodor
6. Jewish servicemen in the Indian subcontinent: a unique Asian tradition Ran Amitai
7. Cultural exchange and religious guidance along the shores of the Arabian Sea: Yemenite Jews in India and Indian Jews in Yemen Menashe Anzi
Part III. Southeast Asia: Colonial legacies and emerging communities
8. The Jews of Singapore: a community founded on the Opium trade Jonathan Goldstein
9. From a colonial settlement to a new identity: the rise, fall and re-emergence of the Jewish community in Indonesia Leonard Chrysostomos Epafras and Rotem Kowner
10. Decolonization and its aftermath: the fate of the Baghdadi-Jewish diaspora in British Asia Amos Wei Wang Lim
Part IV. East Asia: Communities and strife in the sinosphere
11. The Jews of Shanghai: the emergence, fall and resurgence of East Asia's largest Jewish community Rotem Kowner and Xu Xin
12. The Jewish community of Harbin: its meteoric rise and fall under the shade of three empires Joshua Fogel
13. Taiwan: a Postwar Jewish Community without Deep Roots Don Shapiro
14. Jews in Japan: the winding road of a business community Rotem Kowner and William Gervase Clarence-Smith
Part V. Imaginary Asia: Lost peoples and invisible communities
15. Finding Lost Jews in Asia: the search for restored authenticity and the rewriting of Zionist history Gideon Elazar
16. Jewish communities in Modern Asia: underlying commonalities, demographic features, and distinctive characteristics Rotem Kowner.

Subject Areas: Judaism [HRJ]