Why do 4,000 Henan Jewish descendants want to “recognize their ancestors and return to their ancestors” now?

Our country has a long history and culture. In ancient times, it had already begun to open up to the outside world, such as the Silk Road, Princess Wencheng's entry into Tibet, etc.

These practices have continuously strengthened relations with surrounding countries. Not only that, they have also promoted a large amount of Chinese culture abroad.

Of course, there will also be some foreign cultures that will come to China, such as Buddhism in India, and there is also a special group of Jews whose existence is little known.

What are the origins of the Jews in Kaifeng, Henan?

It is reported that the earliest documents of Kaifeng Jews can be traced back to between the 7th and 8th centuries AD, which means that they have a history of about 1,300 years ago.

There is a theory that Jews came to China as early as the Han Dynasty, but no one knew about it at that time, and there were fewer immigrants at that time, and they also suffered certain discrimination. After all, skin color, language different.

The most convincing modern theory is that Jews began to immigrate in large numbers during the Northern Song Dynasty. At that time, the Silk Road had already matured, and a large number of Chinese came to Central Asia and West Asia. On the contrary, the Persian Jews at that time Also came to China.

However, Kaifeng was the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. It was very prosperous. It is reported that Kaifeng had a population of several million people, and the Jews paid tribute to the emperor and were allowed to live in China.

Why do the descendants of Kaifeng Jews now want to return to Israel to recognize their ancestors?

Although they are indeed Jewish in history, after intermarriage, Sinicization, etc., they basically look like everyone else.

However, the saying "when a leaf falls returns to its roots" is basically deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, it is everyone's freedom to want to return to the motherland.

Nowadays, the mind is so open, and it is normal to "recognize ancestors" and "find roots". However, some netizens are more extreme and said: If you want to go, go quickly, no one will stop you.

In fact, there is no need for this. Everyone has their own right to choose. It only costs a few hundred yuan to cancel Chinese nationality. Foreigners overseas who want Chinese nationality can queue up to the Pacific Ocean.

Choosing Israel seems to be a good thing for the descendants of Jews who recognize their ancestors. After all, it has been glorious in history and modern times. Moreover, as a highly developed country, the quality of life is very poor. It's okay, maybe it's because of this that I want to recognize my ancestors.

It is not easy to return to Israel. There are only a handful of descendants of Kaifeng Jews who have returned to Israel so far.

These descendants of Jews have been here for so long. Although the population has increased, according to various sources, According to certain statistics, there are still 4,000 people of Jewish descent and Jewish mixed ancestry in the country.

It’s just that there is basically no Jewish flavor in them, and their culture, language and religious beliefs have basically been assimilated by the Han people.

In these years, they have also applied to return to Israel, but they have all been rejected. It is reported that the main reason is the greater cultural tradition.

The most recent Hyundai application was in 2016. At that time, only five women returned to Israel, and the men were basically rejected because Jews have a matrilineal culture.

What do you think of these Kaifeng Jews?