Happy Chinese Taiwanese Hanukkah

Chanukah, Hanukah, Hanukkah, Channokkaahh, Chanooka, Hanooka or how ever the $*&^$% you spell it in English, is here.

It’s strange, you know? Sharing a taxi with Michael and a Taiwanese I didn’t know from my program this week, the Taiwanese suddenly turned back to look at me and the way he opened the conversation was “So! you’re a Jew, right?”. When everybody’s talking about Christmas, what does it feel like to be a Jew in Tainan-Taiwan?

Adam, help me out…

What does “Hanukah” culture have to do with “Chinese” culture? tough one, but I was able to find something.The Taipei Times, from two years ago, tells the story of the gigantic one-man Jewish community in Taipei:

Every Friday and Saturday Einhorn performs Sabbath services at this one and only synagogue in Taiwan.

The present-day synagogue, which is complete with a Torah and a Holy Ark, is located in a small room in the Ritz Landis Hotel on Minchuan East Road.

In addition, the rabbi also keeps a private library of Jewish works at the hotel, which he proudly claims is the largest in Asia. [...]

Festivals

During the Jewish festivals, such as Hanukkah (Festival of Lights), Passover and Purim, the community comes together to have dinner, sing songs and do readings of the ancient tales, Shapiro said.

Was even able to find a fellow blogger describing the last Hannuuuukkkkah:

But last night’s Hanukkah celebration was more ad hoc, more personal. A small-ish group about half-foreigner and half-Taiwanese got together to eat latkes, spin the dreidel for gifts, and make worldly wishes before together lighting the menorah.

Among the wishes: a prosperous new year for all, an end to the rain, and mine, a future for China’s white dolphin (for whom hope has apparently run out). Serendipity was on my side later in the evening: I won a gift for every spin of the dreidel, for a total of four goodies.

“Goyim’s luck,” hostess Julia said.

The Chabad center in Beijing is usually throwing some well-documented Hanukah parties, Chinese style…(please note : these are -orthodox- Jews…)

So, happy Chinese Taiwanese Channoocka.