A Brief History of the Jewish Community in Taiwan

A firsthand account from Jeffrey Schwartz, a Conservative Jew that has been ‘wandering’ in Taiwan for the past 40+ years

My experience starts in the early 1970’s. By then there were about 50 core families that were comprised mainly of a group of Russian Jews who had lived in China before the war and had moved to Taiwan after first immigrating to other countries, such as Japan and Israel. The balance was made up of American Jews (like me), some Israelis, and a few European Jews mixed in.

Lacking a permanent space where they could house their activities, they rented various places around the city and in the suburbs over the years, moving from place to place as the need arose.

My first experience with the community was when I found them after going to a few services. I decided to donate a classroom for Jewish children at their rented facilities in the memory of my grandmother on my father’s side (my Bubbe).

I donated US$8000 (to me that was quite a lot in those days) to setup a very nice classroom for the children in the community. A plaque was made and attached to the wall of the classroom, and another version was given to me to hand to my parents in the USA. I was quite proud of that. I explained to my mother and father I had sought out the Jews in Taiwan and tried to participate when I could and contribute financially. They felt proud like most Jewish parents would at the time.

Coming from a Conservative Jewish background in Cleveland, Ohio, I was more or less trained to be observant only on the high holidays, and my main obligation was to go to Hebrew school after regular school up until the time of my Bar Mitzvah.

We were far from observant Jews, and I did not really understand Orthodox Jews. But we didn’t need to be reminded of our Jewishness as our neighborhood was basically all Jewish, and the schools I went to before college were 95% Jewish, albeit primarily secular Jews.

Anyway, back to Taiwan: I quickly learned the Jewish community was more of a social club back then, in my opinion, and less of a religious center as there was no rabbi, and different people read the prayers each week on Friday night. On the one hand, it was nice as it gave people that did not speak the local language or assimilate well into social networks in Taiwan a place where they could socialize with their fellow Jews.

On the other hand, I came to Taiwan at the age of 21 in 1973, already fluent in Chinese and in the early days of starting a business with long-term growth potential. In Taiwan, my goal was to not live in an isolated foreign community in this beautiful country, but instead to actively integrate myself into the social networks in Taiwan. Perhaps, I just did not need the safety net of a Jewish social network like I was familiar with from back home. I was looking for something different. So, in fact, other than the high holidays, I did not attend many of the events organized by the Jewish community. The center changed locations many times, and to my disappointment, my plaque that I was so proud of never went to the later facilities.

It soon became apparent to me that this was not a permanent home for Jews, but more of a place to be during the transient times one lived in Taiwan. Its programs, direction, and ideas changed with the people coming and going. Eventually, most of these Jews would leave the island to retire to Israel or to a new location as their job or business called for.

Dr. Rabbi E.F. Einhorn

At that time, there was one rabbi who in fact was also a businessman who held services every week. Rabbi Dr. E.F. Einhorn served those from the community that wanted to attend and the large number of Jewish visitors that came to Taiwan for business in the 1980’s and 1990’s. I quickly associated myself with him as he was a point of consistency, and had no plans to ever leave the island. He was my go-to rabbi for everything I needed with regards to being Jewish.

Dr. Einhorn held weekly services for many years at the Landis Hotel and later at the Sheraton Hotel, as that made it convenient for visitors from abroad. Later on, even as fewer people travelled to Taiwan as the huge market in Mainland China was opening up, he still kept up his services.

Eventually, however, the hotels no longer provided a place for him to hold services and he needed to find an alternative location to continue his services. He was 97 years-old at the time. Today he is almost 103 years-old. Or, as he likes to say, 103 years young.

It is my belief that to build a sustainable community that meets the needs of its members, the Jewish community in Taiwan needs a few key things: First, a long-term vision and the resources to fulfill that vision. Secondly, the community needs a religious leader—a rabbi—and a group of people to support the endeavors that allow us to maintain the continuity of our customs and traditions.

The Jewish community also needs a substantial and sustainable Community Center in a permanent location that will last, one that will create an ongoing legacy for Jews in Taiwan, much like what Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan established long ago. The success of the Jewish communities in those locations has been the subject of many books and essays over the years.

Jeffrey D. Schwartz Jewish Community Center in Taiwan

I therefore decided a few years ago to commit to funding and building such a Center. I did not want to setup a group which lacked the financial resources to maintain a permanent location and was compelled to move from time to time, similar to what I had experienced for the past 40 years. I wanted a permanent place, one that would serve the Jewish community locally and internationally on a continuous basis, and where I could be proud to bring local guests, friends, and business associates.

I contemplated this problem for a while until I began to turn my attention to Chabad in Taiwan. Rabbi Shlomi Talib and his wife came to Taiwan in 2011 with young children and very little money and limited connections to the Jewish community here. And yet, through many years of hard work, and thanks to generous donations from the community, they managed to reach out to Jews from around the island. They eventually discovered that Taiwan in fact has between 800 and 1,000 Jews living here.

Rabbi Shlomi Tabib, Rebetzin Racheli, and their children

I have tried to support Rabbi Shlomi over the years whenever I could, but mostly by observing him from a distance, as I had never interacted closely with an Orthodox rabbi. After many years of observing what was happening in the other parts of the Jewish community, however, I finally came to the realization that Rabbi Shlomi was here for life to serve the Taiwan Jewish community.

Rabbi Shlomi was educated and trained under the direction of the global Chabad-Lubavitch organization, a preeminent organization whose membership counts thousands of rabbis and their families around the world. It’s an organization which has deep roots in the Chasidic movement of 18th-century Eastern Europe. Consistent with their mission, Rabbi Shlomi reaches out to all Jews regardless of their Jewish affiliation or level of observance.

Rabbi Shlomi maintains a constant story of what it is to be Jewish that has been in play for thousands of years, and which will not change on his watch or that of anyone else who may take over in the future. He and his family wake up each day with the sole purpose to trying to do as many Mitzvahs as possible. He has no other agenda other than to serve the Jews living in Taiwan.

To me, they demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the traditional beliefs and practices of our faith. Thus, I decided to partner with Rabbi Shlomi, a vibrant, young, mid-thirtyish rabbi with an equally dedicated wife, to help me put my dreams of creating a permanent Jewish community in Taiwan. One with an ordained rabbi who observes our long-standing traditions, and who is dedicated to the continuance of our heritage. The core beliefs and principles of Judaism do not change over time, and they will serve as the foundation of the legacy we are trying to create.

I have therefore asked Rabbi Shlomi to maintain and manage the religious portion of our new Jewish Community Center in a manner that is consistent with Chabad’s beliefs and which follow the principles of Orthodox Judaism. It is these beliefs and principles that have kept our religion, our culture, and our heritage alive from generation to generation.

As I see it, Rabbi Shlomi will be the “glue” that keeps our traditions and “Jewishness” intact, and, hopefully, perhaps I can be the “oil” that keeps it all running smoothly.

The Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association (JTCA) celebrates diversity of ideas and perspectives, and we honor and respect all other Jewish groups in Taiwan and non-Jewish organizations that support the Jews and Israel, as they work toward their respective missions.

Of course, even as we look toward the future, we should acknowledge those who have helped bring us to where we are today. To that end, I will acknowledge as many as I can in our new center as a way of thanking and honoring those who have helped my family and I on this wonderful journey of being a Jew in Taiwan these past 40+ years.

Jeffrey D. Schwartz and Na Tang

The new Jewish Community Center will also serve as the platform for a range of exciting new initiatives that will be led by the Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association (JTCA), a non-profit organization founded by my wife and myself. The JTCA will be administered by my team to serve the local and greater Jewish community inside and outside of Taiwan in all matters dealing with social life, art, music, culture, health, and business networking.

Are you inspired by our vision? We would love for you to play a part in helping to build this new Center and newly re-energized Jewish community. Learn more about us by browsing our brand-new website at https://www.jtca.org.tw, and please reach out and contact us directly at info@jtca.org.tw to find out more about how you can get involved. We’re also on Facebook at http://fb.com/JewishTaiwanCulturalAssociation.

Welcome to the new Jewish Community Center in Taiwan, and welcome to the Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association: The beginning of a true Jewish legacy in Taiwan for all!