RESEARCH LIBRARY and ARCHIVE

Open by appointment

Researchers are welcome to use the library. Please schedule an appointment prior to your visit by calling 503.226.3600 Ext 102 or curator@ojm.org

Incorporating the archives of the Jewish Historical Society of Oregon

Institutional Member, Council of American Jewish Museums

Contituent Agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland

Past Exhibits

The Jews of Kaifeng
April - May 2000

Curated by the Sino Judaic Institute in Menlo Park, California, this unusual exhibit documented the community of Chinese Jews that dates back to around the 10th century C.E. During the rule of the Song Dynasty, a band of wandering Jews - probably merchants - is thought to have passed through the gates of the city. They were granted an imperial audience and their offering of tribute (cotton goods) was accepted. The emperor welcomed them saying, "You have come to our China. Respect and preserve the customs of your ancestors, and hand them down here in Pien-liang [Kaifeng]." These words were inscribed in 1489 on a stone tablet which was placed, by the descendants of these first Jewish settlers in China, in the courtyard of the synagogue (constructed in 1163).

The exhibit documents the relatively recent discovery of this isolated community and displays the research into its growth, sustenance, and ultimate destruction during the Cultural Revolution.

VISIT THE MUSEUM

RESEARCH LIBRARY and ARCHIVE

Past Exhibits