25 Mar
Uncategorized

Jewish History in China Boosting Sino-Israeli Relations

by Amanda Walgrove Chinese and Jewish cultures are among the oldest remaining civilizations in the world. Besides the spiritual divide, both cultures highly value family life and educational pursuits, and although both have absorbed various other cultures, their central foundations remain strong. As developments in the Middle East have begun to change the landscape of Israel's international relationships, China has become a central player for it. While China's attitude towards Iran's quest for nuclear weapons are worrisome, efforts are still being made to boost tourism, trade, and communicative cooperation between Israel and China. Most recently, on March 2, visiting Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming met with Israeli President Peres and Prime Minister Netanyahu with intentions of enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries. Although Sino-Israeli relations were first officially established as late as 1992, China's history...

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25 Jan
Uncategorized

China Hedges Its Bets in the Middle East

By Gabriel Weinstein Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the United States was only the beginning of a busy week of diplomacy. Last Tuesday 10 Chinese government officials and academics arrived in Israel for three days of meetings with Israeli academics, policy analysts and government officials. The meeting is China’s latest attempt to bolster relations with Israel and become a trusted ally among Middle Eastern Countries. For most of Israel’s history official relations with China were non-existent. Israel sought to establish a firm partnership with China after the declaration of the People’s Republic of China in January 1950, but the Chinese government  did not acknowledge Israeli's recognition. The relationship disintegrated in the mid-1950’s when Israel supported UN forces during the Korean War and chose to align with the...

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24 Jan
Uncategorized

Jewish Mother Redux

By Symi Rom-Rymer We’ve had the bad mother, the free-range mother, and now, thanks to Amy Chua, the Tiger Mother.  From punishing late-night math sessions to grueling practice sessions to complaints over poorly-made birthday cards, Chua suggests that her methods of pushing her children to succeed are what American children need—and are lacking.  A Chinese mother herself—literally and figuratively—Chua writes in the Wall Street Journal that as opposed to Western mothers, “Chinese parents understand that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences.”   She does let some mothers of other cultures off the hook including Korean, Jamaican, and Irish—although not Jewish—whom she concedes may meet ‘Chinese mother’ standards. Stereotypically,...

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03 Oct
Latest

Pork and Politesse: Chinese Tourists in Israel

"Should we not bring any snacks with pork?" Maybe Chinese tourists' reputation for boorishness is unfounded, given that this considerate inquiry was one of several posed to managers of the first organized Chinese group tour of Israel for non-business purposes. The first of two 10-day, 40-person contingents from the Peoples Republic of China landed at Ben Gurion this week. While about 50,000 Israelis visit China every year, the Chinese headed this fall from Beijing to Tel Aviv are the first to go in the other direction. (I posted here recently about the prehistoric days of Israeli tourism in the PRC.) Given Chinese urbanites' intense interest in Jews and Jewish ways—beautifully recounted in Susan Fishman Orlins's "Letter from China" in the magazine—we should expect to see more along this route, notwithstanding the cost of $3,000 a head for the...

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15 Sep
Culture, Latest

As Chinese Come to Israel, Recalling One Israeli in China

We've come a long way since 1985, when Israeli travelers I met in China had to hide their "real" passports from local authorities and most Chinese I met had never left their home province, let alone crossed a national border. The China Daily recently reported that, on September 25, Chinese tourists will visit Israel for the first time without special business visas. I hope Israel's new guests find friends around Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, which top their itinerary. I know I was never lonely during the year I spent roaming the People's Republic with a manual typewriter and three changes of clothing. Besides billions of Chinese for company, I encountered a small army of other "foreign ghosts" traveling, like me, without tour guides or coach buses. In our dorm-style accommodations and in the streets, train...

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