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Since Antiquity, a number of Jewish communities have been established in many parts of Asia migrating or fleeing eastward from their place of origin in Mesopotamia. Some examples of ancient Jewish communities in Asia are: In Iran (Persian Jews) and Iraq (Iraqi Jews); the Georgian Jews and Mountain Jews of the Caucasus; the Bene Israel, the Baghdadi Jews and the Cochin Jews of India (Jews in India); and the Bukharian Jews of Central Asia. China once had an established Jewish community in Kaifeng.
Here is a partial list of some prominent Asian Jews, arranged by country of origin. Note that those regions of Asia where Arabic or Russian or Turkish predominate are excluded from this list (except for the Baghdadi Jews from India and Southeast Asia); see Arab Jews, Ashkenazi Jews and Sephardi Jews for information on these populations.
[edit] United States of America
- Evan Lee Wong, Lead Lifeguard
[edit] Azerbaijan
- Max Black, philosopher [1]
- Misha Black, designer; brother of Max Black [2]
- Emanuel Daniel, businessman
- Bella Davidovich, pianist
- Sarit Hadad, singer
- Gary Kasparov, Jewish- Armenian born in Baku
- Gavril Abramovich Ilizarov, a Russian/Soviet physician, known for inventing the Ilizarov apparatus
- Telman Ismailov, businessman
- Lev Landau, physicist, Nobel Prize (1962)
- Lev Nussimbaum, writer (a.k.a. Kurban Said)
- Matthew Mayolo Helping find a cure for aids.
- V. A. Rokhlin, mathematician
- Mstislav Rostropovich, cellist and conductor (Jewish parent)[1]
- Nina Brosh, model (Chinese mother)
- Morris Cohen, bodyguard of Sun Yat-Sen
- Misha Dichter, pianist (Chinese-born)
- Israel Epstein, journalist, author
- Edmond Fischer, biochemist, Nobel Prize (1992) (Chinese-born; Jewish father)
- Silas Aaron Hardoon, real estate tycoon
- Ehud Olmert, current prime minister of Israel (parents from Harbin)
- Jakob Rosenfeld, doctor and general in the Chinese Liberation Army
- Sidney Shapiro, member of the People's Political Consultative Council
[edit] Georgia
[edit] Hong Kong
- Jacqueline Bhabha, philosopher and wife of Homi K. Bhabha, born in Mumbai to German Jewish refugees.
- David Abraham Cheulkar, actor (Bene Israeli)
- Rachel Cohen (alias Ramala Devi, a Bollywood actress in the 1940s)
- Nissim Ezekiel, Bene Israel poet
- Brian George, actor (Indian father)
- J. F. R. Jacob, army general, Goa governor
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, writer (Indian-based 1951-75)
- Anish Kapoor, sculptor (Baghdadi Jewish mother)
- Samson Kehimkar, musician
- Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, Maharashtrian , Bene Israel Rabbi
- Moshe ,chef,Moshe's
- Farhat Ezekiel Nadira, actress (1930–2006), Baghdadi Jew
- Pearl Padamsee,theatre personality (part Jewish)
- Pramila, Bollywood actress, first Miss India
- other Bollywood actors include Helen, David, Nadira, and Sulochawa
- Lord Reading, viceroy of India
- David and Simon Reuben, businessmen
- Rachel Reuben (model) Bombay
- David Sassoon, businessman of the community of Baghdad Jews.
- Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, British Indian merchant
- Sassoon David Sassoon philanthropist and benefactor of greater Indian Jewish community.
- Solomon Sopher Jewish community leader in Mumbai
- Dr Nathan M Aston Educationist
[edit] Indonesia
- Rita Aaron, Indonesian model
- Cornelia Agatha, Indonesian actress (Jewish grandmother)
- Marini Sardi Indonesian singer (Jewish mother )
- Mariana Renata, Indonesian model and actrees (Jewish father, converted to Catholicism)
- Xaviera Hollander, writer (Indonesian-born; Jewish father)
- Yapto S. Suryosumarno, political activist, brother of Marini (Jewish mother)
- Benjamin (Benny) Prakarsa Y., coffee trader (Jewish mother)
- Nicholas Muliadi, famous Indonesian merchant (Jewish mother)
- Ahmad Dhani, Indonesian singer-songwriter (Jewish ancestry) although he is a muslim
[edit] Iran/Persia
- Daniel
- Esther
- Mordecai
- Michel Abdollahi, German writer, see German article
- Ma'mar Abu 'Ubaida (728-825), linguistician
- Rachel Assil, singer and songwriter (Persian parents) [2]
- Moses ben Hanoch, rabbi
- Ehud Banai, musician
- Gavri Banai, actor and singer
- Yossi Banai, performer
- Soleyman Binafard, wrestler
- Richard Danielpour, composer
- Saeed Emami - Intelligence officer
- Jacob Ghermezian & sons, businessmen
- Ghiyathu'd-Din, mayor of palace (Muslim)
- Roya Hakakian, writer
- Dan Halutz, Israeli Air Force Lt. General and former Israeli Air Force commander (Persian parents)
- Moshe Katsav, Israeli president
- Rita Kleinstein, Israeli singer/actress, known popularly as "Rita"
- Janet Kohan-Sedq, track and field athlete
- Masarjawaih JE
- Mashallah, astrologer and astronomer
- Shaul Mofaz, Israeli Minister of Transportation
- Nasser David Khalili, businessman, art collector
- Isaac Larian, inventor of Bratz, founder of MGA Entertainment
- Jamie Masada, founder of the Laugh Factory comedy club
- Yasmina Reza, playwright (Persian father)
- Bahar Soomekh, Persian Jewish American actress
- Rashid al-Din, mayor of palace (Muslim)
- Elie Tahari, fashion designer
- Soleiman Haim
- Wahb bin Munabbih (?-732), converted to Islam (born Persian Jew on Yemen)
- Subliminal, Israeli rapper, Kobi Shimoni (Persian mother)
- Chemda Khalili, singer and co-host of Keith and the Girl, a popular podcast
[edit] Japan/Korea
- Peter Barakan, music critic (Jewish father)
- Hobart Lee Epstein, formerly head of Goldman Sachs Korea, now with TongYang Securities (Jewish adoptee)
- Peter Frankl, Hungarian mathematician
- Marty Friedman American Guitarist
- Moshe Hattori, Rabbi, Hebraist (Japanese-born; convert to Judaism)
- Harumi Klossowska de Rola, jewelry designer, daughter of Balthus (Jewish father)
- Michael Kogan, founder of Taito
- Fumiko Kometani, author, wife of Josh Greenfeld (Jewish husband; convert to Judaism)
- Ian Hideo Levy, author (Jewish father)
- Carmen Maki, singer (born Maki Annette Lovelace; Jewish-Irish father)
- Abraham Setsuzo Kotsuji, Hebraist (Japanese-born; convert to Judaism)
- Leonid Kreutzer, pianist
- Noah McClanan, currently lives in Massachusetts
- Kenny Nomura, baseball player (Jewish father)
- Klaus Pringsheim
- David Rosen, founder of SEGA (unconfirmed)
- Joseph Rosenstock, conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra
- Kentaro Seagal, actor, son of Steven Seagal (Japanese-born; Jewish father)
- Gaby, Aby & Bina Sassoon
- Leo Sirota & Beate Sirota Gordon
- See also Japanese article
[edit] Kazakhstan
[edit] Kyrgyzstan
[edit] Myanmar
[edit] Philippines
- Alyssa Matutino Lopez, writer, activist, founder of Lucy Diamond Society[3]
[edit] Singapore
[edit] Sri Lanka
[edit] Tajikistan
[edit] Thailand
- Morris Hardoon Businessman and Manufacturer of leading FMCG goods manufacturer
- Abby Hardoon Internet Entrepreneur and founder of Host Europe Plc - UK based - recently launched Daily.co.uk, a UK based Internet hosting solutions provider(son of Morris Hardoon)
- Iris Hardoon (daughter of Morris Hardoon)
[edit] Uzbekistan
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
