Between Mumbai and Manila: Judaism in Asia since the Founding of the State of Israel (Proceedings of the International Conference, held at the Department of Comparative Religion of the University of Bonn. May 30, to June 1, 2012)

268 Pages·2013·1.378 MB·English

by  Manfred Hutter (editor)

Manfred Hutter (ed.)
Between Mumbai and Manila
Judaism in Asia since the Founding of the State of
Israel (Proceedings of the International Conference,
held at the Department of Comparative Religion of
the University of Bonn. May 30, to June 1, 2012)
V&R unipress
Bonn University Press
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Contents
ManfredHutter/UlrichVollmer
IntroductoryNotes:TheContextoftheConferenceintheHistoryof
JewishStudiesinBonn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Part1:JewishCommunitiesinAsia
GabrieleShenar
BeneIsraelTransnationalSpacesandtheAestheticsofCommunity
Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
EdithFranke
SearchingforTracesofJudaisminIndonesia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
VeraLeininger
JewsinSingapore:TraditionandTransformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
ManfredHutter
TheTinyJewishCommunitiesinMyanmar,ThailandandCambodia . . 65
AlinaPa˘tru
JudaisminthePRChinaandinHongKongToday:ItsPresenceand
Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
SuzanneD.Rutland
TheAsia-PacificRegionandAustralianJewry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Part2:ReligionandPolitics
MeronMedzini
ZionistFederationsandZionistDiplomacyinAsiatoEnsureUnited
NationsSupportforthe1947PartitionPlan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
6 Contents
JonathanGoldstein/DeanKotlowski
TheJewsofManila:ManuelQuezon,PaulMcNutt,andthePoliticsand
ConsequencesofHolocaustRescue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
MalteGaier
JewsinPakistanintheContextofEstrangedPakistani-IsraeliRelations . 139
PinganLiang/ZhengLiang
TheBilateralRelationsbetweenIsraelandModernChina(1948–2010) . 151
TheoKamsma
TheArtfulDeletionofIsraeli/JewishPresenceintheStraits . . . . . . . 163
Part3:JudaisminEverydayLifeandSociety
HeinzWernerWessler
“MyBackwardPlaceisWhereIam”:JewishIdentityandJewish
AuthorshipinIndia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
YuditKornbergGreenberg
Hindu-JewishDialogue:ANewTraditionintheMaking . . . . . . . . . . 211
AnnetteWilke
TheHindu-JewishLeadershipSummits:New“Ground-breakingStrides”
ofGlobalInterfaithCooperation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
PingZhang
WhenChokhmahmetZhi:PerceptionandMisperceptionofJewish
WisdominChinasincethe1990s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
GilyaGerdaSchmidt
WhytheChinesePeopleareInterestedinJudaism,theHolocaust,and
Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Manfred Hutter / Ulrich Vollmer1
Introductory Notes: The Context of the Conference in the
History of Jewish Studies in Bonn
TwodaysofdiscussionsandexchangeabouttheknowledgeofmodernJewish
history and communities in Asia, starting from the Indian sub-continent and
reaching to theFarEast in Japan,markedthe internationalconference “From
MumbaitoManila”,organizedfromMay30,toJune1,2012bytheDepartment
of Comparative Religion at the Institute of Oriental and Asian Studies of the
University of Bonn. The idea for the conference was inspired by a research
scholarshipfromtheAlexander-von-HumboldtFoundation(Germany)forDr.
AlinaPatru(fromSibiu,Romania)whoworkedonJewsincontemporaryChina
at the department. Therefore the conference was intended toprovide a possi-
bilitytopresentherresearchresultstointernationalcolleagues.Theotheraspect
which fostered the idea for this conference was the “Working Group of Con-
temporary Asian Religions” (officially in German: “Arbeitskreis Religionen
Asiens der Gegenwart”) withinthe German Association for the Studyof Reli-
gions(DVRW),whichsometimesconvenesworkshopsorconferencesontopics
ofcontemporaryreligions.Onbehalfofthisworkinggroup,theDepartmentof
ComparativeReligionorganizedtheconferenceevenifstudiesonJewryinAsia
have not been very prominent in Germany. Meeting for this conference with
colleaguesfromcountriesinEurope,Asia,AustraliaandAmericainBonncan
leadtoanexchangeofexperiencestofurtherthefuturestudiesonJewishhistory
in Asia and also raise the interest in Jewish Studies at the Department of
ComparativeReligion.
1 ManfredHutter,Dr.phil.Dr.theol,isfullprofessorforComparativeReligionatBonnUni-
versity.Besideshisresearchinterestsinthehistoryofreligionsofthepre-IslamicMiddleEast,
heisinterestedinminorityreligionsduetomigration.–UlrichVollmerwascuratorofthe
InstituteofOrientalandAsianStudiesatBonnUniversity(retiredsinceJanuary2013).Heis
interestedintheEuropeanencounterwithorientalreligions,especiallyinclassicalantiquity.
8 ManfredHutter/UlrichVollmer
1. Jewish Studies at the University of Bonn
Since2005,theDepartmentofComparativeReligionispartofthenewlycreated
Institute of Oriental and Asian Studies. All so far independent departments
relatedto Asia or the Orient form this new Institute. Comparative Religion is
nowaffiliatedwithAsianandIslamicHistoryofArt,Indology,IslamicStudies,
Japanology,Sinology,SoutheastAsianStudies,andTibetanStudies.IntheIn-
stitutethereisnodepartmentforJewishStudies(“Judaistik”inGerman)–that
istosaythescientificandhistoricalstudyofJudaismasreligionandasaculture
based onreligion.Despite the lackofsuch a specialized department, the Uni-
versityofBonninitsalmostbicentennialhistoryhadsomeprominentscholars
whowereengagedinJewishStudies.Soitmightbesuitabletomentioninshort,
howscholarshereinBonncontributedtoJewishStudies.
Let us start with the two theological faculties, one Faculty of Protestant
TheologyandoneFacultyofCatholicTheology.Inbothfacultiesyoucanfind
basicinstructioninBiblicalHebrewandanexegeticalapproachtotheHebrew
Bible,butbasedontheChristianfaith.ThisisChristiantheologyandnotwhat
wemaycallJewishStudies.Butwehaveoneexceptionalcase:intheFacultyof
ProtestantTheologytherewasaJewishscholar,Charles(Chaim)Horowitz,who
from1956untilhisdeathin1969taught“Rabbinistik”,ashisscholarlysubject
was named in the official documents (Faulenbach 2009: 436–438). Charles
Horowitzwasbornin1892inSilesia;hewaseducatedinsomejeschiwoth(Torah
schools)andafterWorldWarIheworkedasamerchant.From1928onhewasin
close contact with Adolf Schlatter and Gerhard Kittel at the University of Tu¨-
bingen, regarding both teaching and researching. His lectureship and his co-
operationwithSchlatterandKittelendedin1933.Horowitzemigratedfirstto
theNetherlands,thentoFrance.AfterWorldWarII,hereturnedtoGermanyin
1951 and worked again as a merchant. Nevertheless, he tried to continue his
academiccareer.TheUniversityofBonnofferedhimtheopportunity.Byhisown
request,hestartedtoteachattheFacultyofProtestantTheology,ashedidin
Tu¨bingen. From the winter term 1956–57 on he gave courses covering four
hoursperweek.Ineachtermusuallyonecoursewasdevotedtothelectureofa
Talmudictreatise,intheothercoursehedealtwithgeneraltopicsoftheJewish
religion, like the history of the Kabbala, the Jewish divine service both inthe
synagogueandinthetemple,orwiththerabbinicexegesisoftheBible.Inthese
yearshepublishedthetranslationofsometreatisesofthePalestinianTalmud.
Onaccountofhismerits,thetitleHonoraryProfessorwasbestowedonhimin
1965.Thelastannouncementinthecoursecataloguecanbefoundinthewinter
term1968–69.CharlesHorowitzdiedinSeptember1969.Afterhisdeath,the
Faculty of Protestant Theology tried to continue the lectureship, but due to
lackingmeansalltheeffortsfailed.Indefianceofthislackofmeans,theFaculty
IntroductoryNotes 9
of Catholic Theology has offered – next to the elementary training in Biblical
Hebrew–fromwintersemester1994–95onward,coursesinModernHebrew.
The courses are given by native speakers; currently there are not only in-
troductorycourses,butcoursesonanadvancedlevel,too.
Nexttoboththeologicalfaculties,thefieldofOrientalStudiesmayprovidethe
scopefordealingwiththeHebrewlanguageandtheJewishculture.Sotosay:the
orientalistsas“thesuccessorsoftheexegetes”–asitissaidinthetitleofabook
byLudmillaHanisch(2003)abouttheGermanresearchontheNearEast.Just
oneyearafter theuniversitywasfoundedin1818,GeorgWilhelmFreitagwas
appointedtothechairofOrientallanguages.But itwasnotuntil1914thatan
official department was established. This happened at Carl Heinrich Becker’s
urging,whowasappointedin1913,butsoonleftBonntobecomeastateminister
inthePrussiangovernment.HissuccessorEnnoLittmannalsostayedinBonn
onlyforashorttime.In1923,PaulKahlecametoBonnfromGießen,andunder
hisguidancetheOrientalSeminarbecameacentre,notonlyforOrientalStudies
in general, but also for Jewish Studies in particular. Unlike his just named
antecessors,andunlikehissuccessorsRudiParetandOttoSpieß,whofocussed
their interests onIslamicstudies and Islam-relatedlanguages, Paul Kahle was
alsoengagedintheresearchoftheoldesttextoftheHebrewBiblebyusingthe
marginsofthemasoretes.Soitwasnotbychance,thatafterthehabilitationof
WilliHeffeningin1926andOttoSpiesin1927–bothfor“SemitisticandIslamic
Studies”–in1928Alexander Sperber(cf.Ho¨pfner1999:49)obtainedthelec-
turerqualificationfor“SemitisticwithspecialconsiderationoftheJudaica”,asit
issaidintheofficialdocuments.AlexanderSperberwasbornin1897inCzer-
nowitz,whichwasthenpartofAustria(Ginsberg1970–71).Hewenttoschoolin
Vienna. Then he studied in Vienna and in Berlin; in each case both at the
universityandattherabbinicseminary.1924hegainedhisPhDinBonn.After
thehabilitationuntil1933hisacademicteachinginmostcasescoveredcourses
withthe broad title “Selected texts of the Mishna”. Whichtexts he dealt with
cannot be found out. In addition to these courses, there were courses with
differenttitles,especiallycoursesontheSeptuagint.AtthecentreofSperber’s
scholarly interestsstood–likeinhisteacher’scase–thereconstructionofthe
Bibletextasclosetotheoriginalaspossible,byanalyzingtheoldtranslations
like the Septuagint or the Targumim. In1933, Sperber wasforcedto leavethe
university. First he went to Palestine. From 1935 on he was connected to the
JewishTheologicalSeminary indifferentacademicpositions.Yetanotherstu-
dentofPaulKahle,whowasinvolvedinhisresearchofthebiblicaltext,wasthe
famousIsraelipoetandliteraryscholarLeahGoldberg(Weiss2010).Shecame
from Lithuania, but was born in Ko¨nigsberg in 1911. She studied first in her
hometownKaunas,theninBerlinandfrom1931until1933inBonn.In1933she
gainedherPhD.HerdissertationabouttheSamaritanTargumofthePentateuch
10 ManfredHutter/UlrichVollmer
was published twoyears later. In 1935, Leah Goldberg emigratedto Palestine.
LatershetaughtcomparativeliteratureattheHebrewUniversity inJerusalem.
Leah Goldberg died in 1970. Paul Kahle had to emigrate to England in 1939
(Ho¨pfner1999:418f.;cf.alsoKahle2003).AfterWorldWarIIKahlereturnedto
Germany,butlivedwithoneofhissonsinDu¨sseldorf.HediedinBonnin1964.
ForthehistoryofJewishstudiesintheDepartmentofComparativeReligion
onecanatfirstrefertoKarlHoheisel’sshortpaper“TheTreatmentofJudaismin
theHistoryoftheDepartmentofComparativeReligionunderCarlClemenand
Gustav Mensching” (Hoheisel 2009). Though the department was not estab-
lisheduntil1920,thesubjecthasbeentaughtintheFacultyofArtsfrom1910on.
In 1910, Carl Clemen left the Faculty of Protestant Theology and joined the
FacultyofArts.Becauseofhisacademictraining,Clemenwasatheologianwith
specialemphasisontheexegesisoftheNewTestament.Hispositioncanmoreor
lessbedescribedasclosetotheHistoryofReligionsSchool.Whiledealingwith
the religions and the religio-philosophical movements in the time of early
Christianityhefocussedhisinterestsmoreandmoreoncomparativereligion.
Judaismwas not the centre of his interests, but he wrote about it considering
differentaspects.In1931,Clemenpublishedthesecondvolumeofhis“History
of Religions in Europe” which, according to the subtitle, dealt with the “still
livingreligions”.Onnearly100pagesClemengivesanoverviewofthehistoryof
Judaismin Europe, beginning withthe first mentioningofJews intheRoman
literatureoftherepublic,uptotherecentdiscussionsonthedifferentcurrentsin
contemporaryJudaism (Clemen 1931: 1–96). It mayberelevantfor Clemen’s
fundamentalappraisal,thathecalledLeoBaecktowritethechapteronJudaism
inhisbook“TheReligionsoftheWorld”(seeBaeck1927).TheGermanedition
ofthisbookwaseditedthreetimes,anditwastranslatedintoseverallanguages.
CarlClemenretiredonApril1,1933,notbecauseofpoliticalreasons,butdue
toreachingtheretirementage.Nevertheless,hecontinuedtoteachuntil1936(cf.
Vollmer2001).Inthatyear,GustavMenschingsucceededhim.Hewasatheo-
logian by academic training, too. Despite his openness to other religions, his
viewofJudaismwaslimitedinaveryunaccountablemanner.Inhisbook“The
World Religions” there is no chapter on Judaism, but only onthe Religion of
Israel; this chapter consists of just three parts “The Religionin pre-prophetic
times”, “The Prophets”, “The Religion in post-exile times” (Mensching 1972:
157–180).
TwoofMensching’sstudentsgainedhabilitation:first,Hans-JoachimKlim-
keitin1968andsecond,KarlHoheiselin1975.KlimkeitsucceededMenschingin
1970 as director of the “Religionswissenschaftliche Seminar”. Hoheiselwas in
thepositionofaprivatelecturerforlongtime,anditwasnotuntil1995thathe
wasappointedtothenewlycreatedsecondchairofhistoryofreligions.Klimkeit
wasthesonofaChristianmissionary,andwasbornandgrewupinIndia.He