China View: Israel and Judaism in Chinese History
VCG / Stringer
The history connecting the Chinese and Jewish civilizations dates back to the era Before Christ (BC). Being one of the most ancient civilizations in history, the Chinese were very familiar with how trade functioned along the Ancient Silk Road, creating a strategic link between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Considering the intense traditions of commerce and trade that characterized both these groups, it is no wonder that the modern People’s Republic of China values keeping strong ties with Israel.
Despite their geographical, political, and ideological differences, China and Israel make an interesting and mutually supportive match. Despite the long legacy uniting their business ethics and culture, the latter remains particularly thankful for China due to its aid to the Jews in the 20th century. Around the 1920s-1930s, China was living a difficult moment in history, disturbed from the Civil War and various conflicts against Colonial Empires that had settled in the Mainland. Yet, hardships did not keep the supporters of the emerging revolutionary movement from standing against the persecution of the Jews occurring in Europe. To give a quick glimpse of how key ports in China looked like in the first half of the 20th century, the author has attached an own photograph taken at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall.
The Shanghai Bund in 1930. Author’s own photograph, 2019.
The South China Morning Post reported the story of 64th US Secretary of the Treasury, Michael Blumenthal, and his family’s adventures in seeking shelter in Shanghai after fleeing Nazi Germany in 1939. In his memoir “From Exile to Washington,” he recalls a happy yet complicated childhood in Shanghai, at the time contended between the Chinese, the Japanese, and the remaining foreigners residing in the International Settlement. He claims that “Shanghai people suffered a lot and we [refugees] were suffering too, but in the end, we and local people lived peacefully as friends and that is a good memory for me.”
The Hongkou Proclamation, Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum. Courtesy of a student at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, taken in 2019.
Despite China being incredibly far from Germany, Blumenthal believes his family’s choice to reach Shanghai via railway (via the Trans-Siberian Railway for the most part) potentially saved them from the destiny they could have faced in other European nations. The Japanese Empire taking over parts of China, however, threatened the safety of Jews and other minorities in the Mainland. In fact, considering Japan was a committed ally of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, the widespread of racial laws could have easily become a risk there too. According to the curator of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, in 1943, the Japanese military decided to segregate Jewish refugees in Hongkou district, instituting a ghetto for over 25,000 refugees. On the side, the printed Proclamation communicating such decision to the general public in 1943. Today, the Jewish Refugees Museum remains located in the same district.
Due to the ongoing conflict between Japan and the US, however, the Jewish community in Shanghai remained relatively safe and was not a priority to the Japanese army. Right after the Japanese attacking Pearl Harbor in 1941, Shanghai remained on the list of common targets the US air raids would frequently attack. However, the US did not aim to destroy Shanghai, but was rather focused on Japan itself. The end of World War II with the atomic bombs launched on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, eventually saved the Chinese and all the minority groups in China suffering under Japanese rule, but at the same time, tore apart a whole nation. Even more complicated remained the uncomfortable realization of what human kind had become.
While suffering from the consequences of the war and the Holocaust in Europe, the Jewish community in Shanghai integrated well with locals. To this day, Chinese history cherishes figures that were particularly helpful during the difficult moment. Among these, Ho Feng Shan - then Consul General in Vienna - is remembered as the “Chinese Schindler” who, according to an estimation by the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, has saved between 3,000-10,000 Jewish lives. Later in history, the Holocaust Remembrance Center Yad Vashem dedicated to him the “Righteous Among Nations Award.” Similarly, many Jews have made the difference in Chinese History by fighting with locals against the Japanese. Among these, Richard Frey (below), Jacob Rosenfeld, and Hans Miller, who stood by the Chinese military providing physical and medical aid. Both Frey and Miller eventually became CCP party members and were given significant roles after the foundation of the PRC in 1949.
Richard Frey, Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum. Courtesy of a student at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, taken in 2019.
This is part of the reason why Sino-Israeli relations have always been maintained at a good state. Like China, Israel is a nation that values deeply the history of its people and rarely forgets those who helped in times of need. The rise of China only solidified economic ties with Israel, which is among the most influential countries in the world and, more specifically, in the Middle East.
According to researches by RAND Corporation, the PRC views Israel as a country that can help China succeed in its shift from “investment and export-led economy to innovation and consumption-led economy.” China also admires the military achievements made by Israel and believes it can gain great benefit from political and military cooperation with the latter. While China has the world’s largest standing army, the Israeli Intelligence - Mossad - is ranked as the best intelligence agency in the world. These countries may differ from religious and ideological points of view, however their cooperation proves that business, trade, and hunger for power are often able to overcome these principles. Only the fact that, in foreign countries, local Jewish and Chinese communities are considered among the most business-oriented, explains that these cultures share some similarities in the way they view their own role in the world. Israel, on its side, values bilateral relations with China because, as an innovative country, it has understood that China’s decision-making influence is rising and will continue to bring significant changes to the global balance of power.
An obstacle these may face, however, is Israel’s tight bond with the US which, instead, is not China’s favorite at the moment. Under Xi Jinping’s rule (2012-onwards), cooperation with Israel has intensified, escalating into a reaction from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, demanding that Israel would reconsider some of its projects with China. According to The Jerusalem Post, this is a dangerous triangle that does not look promising already in the first half of 2020. The Coronavirus outbreak, in fact, worsened the cooperation between the US and China, accused by the Trump Administration for not communicating the severity of the disease before it started spreading globally. Trump would want the Chinese to pay for the damages caused by the virus, formerly originated from the city of Wuhan, and therefore opposes the large-scale Chinese investment occurring on Israeli soil. As explained in a video below, therefore, Israel is finding itself in a very difficult position in which it must reconsider its plans with China because still too reliant on the US.
Other than these pragmatic issues, involving China and Israel directly, diplomatic ties are currently being shaken due to the mysterious death of Chinese Ambassador to Israel Du Wei in his home of Tel Aviv and due to China’s concern over Israel’s annexation of Palestine. Regarding the latter, however, it is unlikely China will formally intervene due to its long-cherished principle of “non-intervention.” Israel, on the other side, is committing to refute Pompeo’s comments on Coronavirus being a “Chinese Virus,” and is taking a formal pro-China stance on the pandemic issue.
