ENTER THE DRAGON...

The Chinese are much taken with Jewish folk. Scan the shelves in any bookstore in China and you are likely to find best-selling self-help books based on Jewish knowledge. The Institute of Jewish Studies was founded by a Professor Xu in 1992. He was the pioneer of Jewish studies in China which was the first of its kind in Chinese higher education.Today there are more than half a dozen similar programs across the country, many started by Professor Xu’s former students. In Nanjing, Judaica courses—from Ancient Jewish History to Rabbinic Literature to Holocaust Studies—have proved popular. According to Xu one of the best-attended courses in the institute is Jewish Culture and World Civilization, in which 18 topics are covered in a 20-week semester. It attracts roughly 200 undergraduate students per term.

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