The Jews & Jewish Community Sites in Harbin
Jews and Judaism in China have had a long history. Jewish settlers are documented in China as early as the 7th or 8th century CE. They are purported to have traveled from Persia to India during the mid-Han Dynasty and later migrated from the Muslim-inhabited regions of northwestern China (today Gansu province) to Henan province during the early Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
Traces of some ancient Jewish rituals have been observed since the Jews have historically resided in various places in China. One well-known group was the Kaifeng Jews.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jewish immigrants from around the world arrived with Western commercial influences, particularly in the commercial centers of Hong Kong, which was for a time a British colony, Shanghai (the International Settlement and French Concession), and Harbin (the Trans-Siberian Railway). In the first half of the 20th century, thousands of Jewish refugees escaping from the 1917 Russian Revolution and the Holocaust in Europe arrived in Harbin China.
The Japanese occupation of northeast China in 1931 and the establishment of Manchukuo in 1932 had a negative impact on the Harbin Jewish community (13,000 in 1929). Most of those Jews left Harbin for Tianjin, Shanghai, and British Mandate of Palestine. Until 1939, the Russian Jews were about 5,000 in Shanghai.
By the time of the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, few if any native Chinese Jews were known to have maintained the practice of their religion and culture. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, however, some international Jewish groups have helped Chinese Jews rediscover their heritage.
The real Jewish influence on Harbin focuses on the time from the World War I and lasted to 1985: the last Harbin Jewish city citizen died. If you want to follow the trail of Harbin Jews, just start from the Harbin New Synagogue at then Tongjiang Jie where is the center of Jewish life in the city till the end of World War II. Many of the Jewish buildings and sites once housed bakers, kosher butchers and furriers around harbin downtown as below:
1) The Old Church
The Main Synagogue in Harbin is seen in Artilleriskaya Street, Pristan District (now # 82 Tongjiang Street, Daoli District). Its foundation was laid on May 3, 1907 and completed in January 1909. It now houses a cafe and shops, but still has Star of David symbols in its windows.
2) The New Synagogue
Located in # 162 Jingwei Street, Daoli Strict, Harbin, the New Synagogue was built in 1918 in a unique and special in style and finished in 1921 covering an area of more than 1,230 square meters. Today, the synagogue is one of the must-see attractions in Harbin due to its unique architecture and culture.
3) The Judaism School
Built in 1919, it was the first Jewish middle school in Far East. Locate # 46 Paodui Street, Putou District, it is only one Jewish middle school in Harbin.
4) Jewish National Bank
A two-story building was built for commerce in 1923 with delicate western architectural style sits # 57-59 at Central Street, Daoli District, Harbin.
5) Jewish Hospital
The building is located at # 36 West Wudao Street, Daoli District Harbin. Now it is Harbin Municipal Ophthalmology Hospital.
6) Jewish Free Canteen & Resthouse
Located at # 5 Tongjiang Street, Daoli District, now it is an division of Harbin Municipal Inland Revenue Department.
7) Jewish P. A. Berk Abramovich Building
A firm building was completed in 1907 and expanded to be four-floor in 1921. Located at the intersection between Central Street and West Wudao Street. Now it is a store at # 127－129 at Central Street.
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