AT THE CROSSROAD OF TWO HOLOCAUSTS

Today, both of Harbin former synagogues have been refurbished (but not consecrated) mostly for the benefit of American and Israeli tourists. Jews are welcomed in Harbin like long lost relatives.

The old Jewish cemetery was carefully transferred to a beautiful spot outside the city. I visited the cemetery on a gray morning after a snowfall and while I was impressed at how well the place is kept, I noticed that, at some juncture, many of the 600 tombs had been vandalized.

While most of the Jews left Harbin for more promising destinations, mostly Palestine and the United States, it is odd how fast they all left. Especially if everything was in fact so wonderful in Harbin. The first mass departure occured in 1928, when the Railway passed under Chinese control. Three years later, the region was invaded by the Japanese, and more Jews left. After WWII, Manchuria was briefly under Soviet control, never a good situation for Jews. By then there were few remaining anyway.

My guess is that the Jewish cemetery was badly vandalized during the 1960s, a period of Russophobia and wanton destruction in China. When you see the sad gravestones, it is a relief to know that during such outbursts of anger most Jews were long gone.

	Harbin grew suddenly from an obscure settlement to a vibrant city with the creation of the Chinese Eastern Railway at the very end of the 19th century. The railway was a Russian project and resulted in massive Russian migration to Harbin. Many of the new inhabitants were Russian Jews. Although few Jewish families planned to settle durably in Harbin, many quickly came to appreciate the historical absence of anti-Semitism in China. Soon, Harbin was an unlikely center of Jewish culture, with 20,000 Jews in the city. Harbin Jews were particularly active in the fields of music and politics, and many Zionist plans germinated there. Although the Jewish presence was comparatively brief, with most Jews gone by 1937 and the last families obscurely - almost mysteriously - departing or dying around 1963, the impact and the memories are extraordinary. The Jews who took refuge in Harbin and the local Chinese population lived in great harmony. Even today, the descendants of the Harbin Jews, such as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, feel great nostalgia for their parents' Harbin years. Olmert remembers his dying father spoke his last words in Chinese.

Today, both of Harbin former synagogues have been refurbished (but not consecrated) mostly for the benefit of American and Israeli tourists. Jews are welcomed in Harbin like long lost relatives. The old Jewish cemetery was carefully transferred to a beautiful spot outside the city. I visited the cemetery on a gray morning after a snowfall and while I was impressed at how well the place is kept, I noticed that, at some juncture, many of the 600 tombs had been vandalized. While most of the Jews left Harbin for more promising destinations, mostly Palestine and the United States, it is odd how fast they all left. Especially if everything was in fact so wonderful in Harbin. The first mass departure occured in 1928, when the Railway passed under Chinese control. Three years later, the region was invaded by the Japanese, and more Jews left. After WWII, Manchuria was briefly under Soviet control, never a good situation for Jews. By then there were few remaining anyway. My guess is that the Jewish cemetery was badly vandalized during the 1960s, a period of Russophobia and wanton destruction in China. When you see the sad gravestones, it is a relief to know that during such outbursts of anger most Jews were long gone.

	It is tempting to dismiss the warm and cozy relationship between today's China and Israel, and to attribute it to both countries having human right challenges. However, it remains true that in XVIII century Kai Feng, in 1920 Harbin, or in 2007 New York, the Jews and the Chinese are friends, members of a mutual admiration society, sharing the respect of knowledge and age, a fondness for self-deprecating humor, and an obsession for feeding guests until they beg for mercy.

BACK	HOME	NEXT