Small But Coherent Tokyo Jewish Community Has 50-Year History

November 28, 2003

Source: Jewish Times

http://www.jewishtimes.com/News/3505.stm

On November 28, 2003 the Jewish Times ran a feature article on the Jewish community in Tokyo: "Flexibility and tolerance has been a theme at the center, known simply as the Jewish Community of Japan, for 50 years. 'We do not describe ourselves as Conservative or Reform or Orthodox, but simply as Jewish,' says the community's president, Daniel Turk...'We had to find a way to live together, pray together and fight together,' says Rabbi Marvin Tokayer of New York, who was the popular spiritual leader of the community for 10 years...The Jewish Community of Japan actually has a number of Japanese members, including spouses of Jewish members, some of whom have converted to Judaism. There also are a small number of Japanese who have converted for reasons unrelated to marriage. Japan never has had a significant indigenous Jewish population, and there is little history of note between Japan and the Jewish people...The lack of encounters between Jews and Japanese also has meant that there has been little of the hostility experienced by Jews in many other lands."