The Chinese Jewish New Year

(view of the Shul from our bedroom window)

Oddly enough, out of all the millions of apt buildings to live in on Hong Kong Island, D and I chose an apartment building directly across from the JCC (Jewish Community Center). The first time I went to check the place out, the security was so tight, I hardly made it into the building. It was much harder to get into the JCC in HK than it is to get into the country itself.

D and I wanted a place to spend the holidays (Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur) and we figured it would be nice to be part of the Jewish community here in Hong Kong. We weren't really sure what to expect.

When we arrived at the Shul we found there were already assigned seats. D had a seat right in front, and I had to sit at the tippy top of the shul in a chair that had been brought in for the service. I would lean over the balcony every now and then to try to catch D's eye and also to try to get some fresh air. Shul's back in the states are known for being freezing! Every year my mom would bring her heaviest pashmina which we would use to cover ourselves like a blanket. You would think that with temperatures in the 90s here in Hong Kong that the air would be on a little higher for everyone's comfort. Well, at least they had the fans going!

Many people asked me if there were Chinese Jews here in Hong Kong. Most of the congregants were from England, Australia, Israel, or the US. There were a few Asian faces in the crowd but they had all married a Jewish person or converted.

After services had ended, D and I made our way back to the apartment building. Our only doorman who speaks English, named "Dickie", looked at D and said "Oh you are Muslim?" D laughed and said "No, I'm Jewish" Dicky then said, "Oh right you have your little party today!" D and I decided we should have a little party so we headed out to have a typical Chinese Rosh Hashana lunch, Dim Sum!