community
Kaifeng Jews (late)
Kaifeng, China · Wider Abrahamic world
34.797, 114.307
Attested. Attested (stelae, Jesuit reports). Origins before the 12th century are traditional.
This photograph shows the modern city, or the Wikipedia lead subject, rather than the ancient site itself.
A synagogue was built in 1163 at the Song capital, according to stelae of 1489, 1512 and 1663 (the stelae are now in the Kaifeng Museum). The community, probably of Persian-Jewish merchant origin, assimilated by the 19th century, and its Torah scrolls are dispersed in Western libraries. It is included as a late outer point only.
Source stance: neutral.
People and groups named here
- Matteo Ricci (met Ai Tian, 1605)
Sources
- History of the Jews in China (Wikipedia, context article)
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Kaifeng Jews (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
Further reading
Councils here
None in this list.