As Passover approaches, we all recall that we are strangers in a strange land. And boy, are we. As expats living in Beijing for the past year or so, we find that the strangeness of this strange land doesn’t necessarily diminish with time. In fact, it can get stranger and stranger. We celebrate Passover in our household by ordering kosher-for-Passover items from the city’s Chabad network, shopping at the local wet market for items like parsley and apples and walnuts, gathering every Jew we know, and celebrating the Jews’ victory over Pharaoh with a festive dinner that will be cleaned up by our ayi, cleaning lady, in the morning. In many ways, Passover in China is a new exile in the wilderness. “Let my people go” becomes “Just let me get on Facebook.” The Four Questions become...

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