Walking along the streets in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, you see a large amount of well-preserved European-style architecture, among which is a site with a distinctive Star of David on a giant dome. This is the New Jewish Synagogue, which not only provides a narration of the Jewish religion in the city but also a home to an extensive collection of Jewish culture and artifacts.
Tracing back to the late 19th and early 20th century, the Jewish community in Harbin was one of the strongest and most viable in the city. According to Li Shuxiao, deputy director of the Harbin Jewish Research Center with the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences, between 1899, when the first Russian Jewish immigrants came to Harbin and 1985, when the last Jewish settler in Harbin passed away, altogether more than 20,000 Jewish people spent their lives at one time or another in the city.
The New Synagogue lies in Jingwei Street, Daoli district, bordering the city center. It is the second Jewish synagogue in Harbin and was established in addition to the main synagogue, known as the Old Synagogue.
"Built in 1918 and finished in 1921, the New Jewish Synagogue covers an area of more than 1,230 square meters and could accommodate as many as 800 worshipers. It is the largest in northeast China," explained Qu Wei, president of Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.
However, the New Synagogue has not been used for worship since most Jewish people left the city in the 1950s. Re-opening in the 1990s, it was used as a club for the local Public Security Bureau. After renovation and reconstruction by the Harbin Municipal Government in 2004, the New Synagogue was transformed into a Jewish museum of history and culture, preserving and exhibiting Jewish artifacts.
The New Synagogue once played a significant role in Jewish religious, political and cultural life. Fleeing their homelands due to persecution and war, a large number of Jewish people settled in Harbin in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. During times of celebration and religious festivals, the synagogue attracted people from throughout the province.
Today, the synagogue is one of the must-see attractions in Harbin due to its unique architecture and culture. Each year, many descendants of the Harbin Jews return to their roots and scholars of Jewish culture also come to study their heritage.
At the entrance of the building, a huge bronze relief symbolizes the struggle of the immigrants. Standing in the main hall, the structure and layout of the three-story building is captivating. Besides pictures and sculptures, passports, graduate certificates, membership cards and documents are on display.
The collection presents a vivid description of Jewish religious, political, economic and cultural activities in Harbin in the early 20th century. Depicting living situations at the time, family settings have been recreated in several small halls, where an old piano, classic clock, artifacts and daily necessities enrich visitors' imagination of life in the city.
Although most of Harbin's Jewish community returned to their homelands after 1948, a Jewish graveyard still stands. The first Jewish cemetery in Harbin was built in 1903 and was moved in 1958 to the Huang Shan (Royal Hill) Public Cemetery located on the outskirts of Harbin's municipal boundaries.
The tombstones in the cemetery are varied, with 876 graves. Today only 480 headstones can be identified, among which, the relatives of Leah Rabin, widow of former prime minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin, are buried.
The Jewish immigrants also left a strong architectural legacy in Harbin. There is a Jewish school, the Modern Hotel and Huamei Western Restaurant, among others. In 1917 the middle school was built in European style with a round domed roof and hexagonal latticed windows. The building survived the test of time and is still standing in Tongjiang Street, Daoli district.
The Modern Hotel was built by a Jewish entrepreneur in 1906 and incorporates architecture typical of the French Renaissance period. It was not only the most romantic and luxurious multifunctional hotel in the early 20th century, but also witnessed many historical events in China.
Huamei Western Restaurant was established in 1925 by a Jewish immigrant from Russia and after several rounds of refurbishment and renovation, it is now an elegant and romantic restaurant.
Besides tangible legacies, the invisible influence of the Jewish immigrants on Harbin's culture is also still evident. When Jewish communities were booming in the city, a large number of Jewish musicians gathered in Harbin. They either taught local people how to play or presented performances. This greatly aroused local people's enthusiasm for music and today, the influence on Harbin's music education can still be felt.
The Jewish heritage in Harbin, especially the New Jewish Synagogue, enables a unique look back into Harbin's colorful modern history and the friendships of two peoples.