Seven descendents of the Jewish community of Kaifeng, China have moved to Israel.  Michael Freund, chairman of Shavei Israel contacted me with the report and made no attempt to camouflage his excitement.

Kaifeng is located on the banks of the Yellow River. A Jewish community has flourished in the region for more than a thousand years.

When they arrived the group went straight to the Western Wall where they recited the ‘Shechecheyanu’ and sang traditional Hebrew songs.

Freund has worked for years to obtain clearance for the group. He made repeated application to the Ministry of the Interior to obtain the necessary permits.

“This is truly an historic moment,” his email told me. He described the Kaifeng group as ‘a living link between China and the Jewish people.’

His excitement was shared with the newcomers. One of the new immigrants Yaakov Wang said, “This is something that my ancestors dreamed about for generations.”

Wang has his heart set on becoming a rabbi and hopes to encourage others from Kaifeng to learn more about their heritage.

For more visit www.shavei.org