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By Yucatan Times on December 14, 2020
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Chinese Jews in Kaifeng, China (Photo: Brooklyn Public LIbrary)
For this year’s Hanukkah, Amir is lighting menorah candles and reciting blessings to celebrate the holiday’s eight nights, as many Jews are around the world.
But he does so in secret, worried that Chinese officials will come around – as they often do on religious occasions – to enforce a ban against Judaism, pressuring him to renounce his faith. Sometimes, he’s even called in for interrogations.
“Every time we celebrate, we are scared,” said Amir, not his real name as he asked not to be identified over worries of retaliation. “Whatever we do, we’re always very careful to make sure the authorities don’t find out.”
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Despite numbering only a thousand, China s Jews are falling foul of Beijing s campaign against non-sanctioned religions
13 December 2020 • 8:00am
The graveyard of a Jewish family in a cemetery in Kaifeng
Credit: Daily Telegraph
For this year’s Hanukkah, Amir is lighting menorah candles and reciting blessings to celebrate the holiday’s eight nights, as many Jews are around the world.
But he does so in secret, worried that Chinese officials will come around – as they often do on religious occasions – to enforce a ban against Judaism, pressuring him to renounce his faith. Sometimes, he’s even called in for interrogations.