The Jewish presence in Taiwan began in the mid-20th century, and was never numerous. The first sizable presence began in the 1950s, when religious services were held in the
United States military
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
, to which civilians also had access. There are currently two main entities for Jews in Taiwan, the Jeffrey D. Schwartz Jewish Community Center of Taiwan and the Taiwan Jewish Community.
Rabbinical services
In the 1950s Jewish religious services were held in the United States military chapel on Zhongshan North Road with services being open to both military families and civilians.
In 1975,
Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
Ephraim Einhorn ( he, אפרים פרדיננד איינהורן; ) arrived to serve as the island's sole rabbi. Formally established as a non-profit organization in 1977, th
Taiwan Jewish Communityhas been largely made up of foreign business executives and their families, students, diplomats assigned to Taiwan, and visitors to the island. For many years Rabbi Einhorn officiated at Sabbath and holiday services at the Landis Hotel and later the Sheraton Taipei. In 2015 the venue for the services moved to space in an office building provided by one of the community members. In 2020 the Taiwan Jewish Community moved to a location funded by the entire community. Attendance peaks around the
High Holy Days
The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe")
#strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...
, numbering between 60 and 100. Rabbi Einhorn died in 2021 in Taipei and his role in running the organization Taiwan Jewish Community was passed on to Leon Fenster.
Jeffrey D. Schwartz Jewish Community Center of Taiwan
On December 29, 2021, th
Jeffrey D. Schwartz Jewish Community Center of Taiwanwas officiall
opened The 22,500 square-foot center features a synagogue, mikveh (ritual bath), kosher culinary lab and kitchen, 300-person ballroom, classroom, library, and a museum of Judaica and Jewish art containing over 400 rare items. The center was funded, designed, and built by th
Jeffrey D. Schwartz & NaTang Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association (JTCA) a non-profit organization founded by Jeffrey D. Schwartz, Founder and CEO of Four Star Group, and his wife
NaTang, an actress, musician, and author. The center offers a variety of cultural activities and is open to membership and participation by everyone in the Taiwan community, including those who adhere to other faiths.
Relations with Israel
Because the state of
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
has full diplomatic relations with mainland China, it cannot fully recognize the government of Taiwan, which China considers separatist. Nevertheless, Israel maintains the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei
ISECO. In 2006, there was $1.3 billion worth of bilateral trade between Israel and Taiwan.
Holocaust related
![臺南車路墘教會](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/%E8%87%BA%E5%8D%97%E8%BB%8A%E8%B7%AF%E5%A2%98%E6%95%99%E6%9C%83.jpg)
In 2002 a Holocaust Museum was opened in Bao'an,
Rende Township,
Tainan County
Tainan County was a county in southern Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was in Sinying City.
History
Tainan County was established on 7 January 1946 on the territory of Tainan Prefecture () shortly after the end of World War II ...
(now part of
Tainan City
Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of hist ...
).
It was founded by Chou Chou An (), a Taiwanese
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
who follows
Messianic Judaism
Messianic Judaism ( he, or , ) is a modernist and syncretic movement of Protestant Christianity that incorporates some elements of Judaism and other Jewish traditions into evangelicalism.
It emerged in the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier He ...
, considered by many Christians and Jews to be a form of Christianity. Chou Chou An received his religious education in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The Kyoto Holocaust Museum has donated several
artefacts to the Holocaust Museum in Tainan.
In 2021 an
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, is an international memorial day on 27 January that commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of on ...
ceremony in Taipei was attended by Taiwanese President
Tsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen (; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician serving as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2016. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai is the first female president of Taiwan. She served as ...
. The event was organized by the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, the German Institute Taipei, and the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
Chabad Taiwan
In the summer of 2011, upon the coming of the new
Chabad
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...
emissaries, Rabbi Shlomi and Racheli Tabib, the Chabad Taiwan, also known as the Taipei Jewish Center, was founded.
Population
As of 2016 the Jewish community in Taiwan numbered approximately 800, with 650 of those residing in Taipei.
See also
*
Ephraim Einhorn
References
External links
Jeffrey D. Schwartz Jewish Community Center of TaiwanTaiwan Jewish CommunityTaipei Jewish CenterTaiwan Holocaust Museum
{{Immigration to Taiwan
Ethnic groups in Taiwan
J