Welcome

The Sino-Judaic Institute (SJI) is a non-denominational, non-political and non-profit organization which was founded in 1985 by a group of international scholars and lay persons for the purpose of promoting understanding between Chinese and Jewish peoples and to encourage and develop their cooperation in matters of mutual historic and cultural interest. Primary among these are the ancient Jewish community in the city of Kaifeng and the later immigrant Jewish communities of Shanghai, Harbin, Tianjin, and Hong Kong. SJI initially served as a vehicle for the study and preservation of Jewish history in China, including the establishment of exhibits on the Kaifeng Jews in the Kaifeng Municipal Museum and the Song Dynasty Park in Kaifeng.

Soon thereafter, the Institute took upon itself the added responsibility of providing support to Chinese scholars in the publication of information in China about Judaism and Jewish history. Its aim was to counteract stereotypes and misinformation about Jews spread by the introduction of Western culture. The Institute deemed it imperative that a nation of one fifth of the world's population have access to accurate and unbiased materials. Thus The Sino-Judaic Institute has been active in facilitating the establishment of centers of Jewish studies in large Chinese cities, has encouraged conferences of Chinese scholars, promoted the translation into Chinese of basic works on Jews and Israel and helped bring Chinese scholars to Israel and the U.S.A.