Jews of Kaifeng, China, reading the Torah, early 20th century (b/w photo)

A Jewish community in the Henan province of China has existed since the 10th century AD, perhaps earlier; Kaifeng was a cosmopolitan city on the Silk Road and the Jews may have arrived from India or Persia; they built a synagogue which survived until c.1850; in appearance they are indistinguishable from the local Chinese because of intermarriage but have retained Jewish traditions despite their isolation from the rest of the Jewish diaspora and still exist today; illustration from 'Chinese Jews: A Compilation of matters relating to the Jews of K'AI - Feng Fu', written by Bishop White, a Christian missionary who lived in the Kaifeng province c.1890-1930;