The Chinese Jews of Kaifeng: A Millennium of Adaptation and Endurance.

• Author: Shan, Patrick Fuliang
• Position: ASIA - Book review

Laytner, Anson H., and Jordan Paper, eds. The Chinese Jews of Kaifeng: A Millennium of Adaptation and Endurance, Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2017.

This collection showcases the study of the Kaifeng Jews. The twelve articles appraise the history, contemporary situation, and ties with the outside world of Kaifeng's Jews. This book attests to the importance of international collaboration with the goal of bringing forth different opinions from diverse perspectives. The contributors thoroughly explore the 1,000-year history of the Kaifeng Jews. Although the existing scholarship on this topic is not scarce, this collection offers fresh information and in-depth analysis of that long history. While the quality of the chapters vary, the book adds new knowledge about this part of the Jewish diaspora.

In Part One, seven authors offer assessments of the historical evolution of the Kaifeng Jews. Nigel Thomas...