Home Archives for Asian Jewish Life

Five Star Refuge: A Week at the Pen

Posted on February 28, 2013 Written by
Dormitory in The Peninsula ballroom

by Erica Lyons The lobby of Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotel (or “The Pen” as it is often fondly referred to as) suggests the height of colonial elegance, framed by gilded columns with its marble flooring and high ceilings complete with ornately carved scenes. As the string quartet hums from the grand balcony above, over shiny silver three-tier stands of high-tea treats, with its grandeur and elegance, it is difficult to imagine that the Peninsula Hotel was once a temporary shelter for post-World War II Jewish refugees. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asian Jewish Life

Feeding the World with Jewish Wisdom: A Look at American Jewish World Service

Posted on February 5, 2013 Written by
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by Erica Lyons There seems to be an implicit understanding that our planet is divided into two entirely separate worlds, there is an ‘us’ and a ‘them’. The third world is the ‘them’, which we can tune out, address or not address, engage with or ignore. But Ruth Messinger, CEO/President of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development organization motivated by Judaism’s imperative to pursue justice, does not divide the world in that way. As she explains, as Jews we simply can’t do this. “Jewish texts are very clear about this. Jews have a clear obligation to work towards global justice, to help both Jews and non-Jews. Everyone has been made in God’s image (b’tselem elohim).” … [Read more...]

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A Musical Journey to Andhra Pradesh

Posted on January 31, 2013 Written by
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A Musical Journey to Andhra Pradesh: Understanding the Bnei Ephraim by Irene Orleansky I have always been fascinated by the story of the lost tribes and wished to contribute to their return to Zion. Being neither an anthropologist nor a politician, I decided to go about it using my own talent, music. That is how in January of 2012, equipped with a small mobile studio, I came to start my journey through Africa and Asia to record a CD of music of the lost tribes. After visiting the African Hebrew communities in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia and then Kaifeng, China my next destination was India. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asian Jewish Life, The World

Discovering / Rediscovering Shanghai: An Insider’s Tour of Shanghai Today

Posted on October 18, 2012 Written by
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by Helen Lippman Shortly after arriving in Shanghai for his high school reunion, my husband, Ellis Jacob - an Iraqi Jew and native Shanghailander - was walking along the Bund when a stranger grabbed his arm. “Ellis, come talk to my people,” implored Dvir Bar-Gal, an Israeli photojournalist who conducts tours tracing the history of Jews in Shanghai. His “people” were the dozen or so men and women taking his tour. … [Read more...]

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The Unknown Jews of Bangladesh: Fragments of an Elusive Community

Posted on October 11, 2012 Written by
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by Dr. Shalva Weil It often comes as a surprise that there was once a thriving Jewish community in Pakistan. This is well documented. The real mystery and surprise is the fact that there was also once a Jewish community in East Pakistan, today Bangladesh, of which little is known. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asian Jewish Life, The World

Barefoot and Jewish in Tirupati

Posted on September 24, 2012 Written by
The marketplace in Tirupati (AJL)

by Miriam Wasser Tirupati is home to one of South India’s holiest sites, the Sri Venketeswara Temple. This famous temple sits on top of a hill called Tirumala, which is one of seven important peaks in the area, and one of the richest pilgrim centers in the world. Every day, between 50,000-100,000 Hindu pilgrims visit this site to take darshan. To take, or receive darshan is literally to see and connect with something divine, like the image of their deity, or a great spiritual leader or guru. In the case of the Sri Venketeswara Temple, to take darshan is to see the idol of the temple’s presiding deity, Lord Venketeswara, who is believed by followers to be a merciful and benevolent form of the Hindu god, Vishnu. Lord Venketeswara is known as a wish fulfiller, and pilgrims journeying to … [Read more...]

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