It’s not every day that we have the opportunity to meet individuals involved in new, innovative projects in the Pacific Rim. One such person is Erica Lyons – a New York trained attorney who, along with her family, now makes her home in Hong Kong. This past winter, Erica launched Asian Jewish Life: a Journal of Spirit, Society and Culture.

The magazine, a quarterly printed publication, reflects the diversity of the Jewish experience in the region, while simultaneously building community ties.

Reflecting recently on the vision behind Asian Jewish Life, Erica tells us,

I realized that the attack on Mumbai played a significant role behind my drive to see this project get off the ground. The attack unified Jews in Hong Kong and Jews in other communities in a way that had rarely been seen before.

In the days of watching the events unfold and the communal mourning period that followed, I saw how inextricably linked we were as Jews. Though we hail from seemingly different backgrounds, Diaspora Jews and Israelis, secular and Orthodox, young and old, our lives are inextricably intertwined.

Any Jew living in Asia could immediately connect with the Holzbergs z”l. We all have been touched by members of our own community who are so like them. We all ‘knew them’. It is this interconnectedness of Jewish Asia that I wanted to convey in AJL.

As Jews in Asia we are but a tiny minority unified by tradition, a love for Israel, common contemporary concerns and shared values. As a charitable organization, Asian Jewish Life is also committed to helping other charitable organizations who have ties to the region.

Here at eJewish Philanthropy, with our continuing goal of bringing you some of the best from the new Jewish media world, we will be sharing selected articles from the current, and future issues. The first article, Raising a Jewish Child in Cambodia is from AJL’s Expat Diary.

If you are a resident of Asia, in order to receive your free copy of Asian Jewish Life simply send your residential or business address to subscribe@asianjewishlife.org.

Asian Jewish Life will also send copies outside of the Asia-Pacific region, please inquire for further details. subscribe@asianjewishlife.org