By Danny Bloom
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Are there any Jews in Taiwan? Well, there are 23 million Taiwanese Buddhists and Taoists, and a few Christian converts and Muslin converts, but there aren’t many Jews in Taiwan to speak of.
But that isn’t stopping Lubavticher Outreach Rabbi Schlomi Tabib at the Taipei Jewish Center from celebrating a new ”Torah dedication event” on September 19 with a Sunday afternoon parade starting at the city’s second-tallest-in -the-world skyscraper (after Dubai’s) known as Taipei 101 and moving through town to the center.
The new Torah has been donated by Avi Netanel in Israel, according to the center. “A colorful march from Taipei 101 led by the children of the community” will mark the festive occasion, with “a festive meal in honor of the new Torah, singing and dancing and special arts & crafts events for the kids.”
“The event is in conjunction with and secured by the Taipei Police Department, the rabbi adds. Okay, it’s a Lubavitcher outreach PR event. But it’s fun and it’s full of naches. But back to the original question–are there any Jews in Taiwan? About 45. Numbers don’t count. It’s the heart that speaks here.
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Bloom is Taiwan bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted at dan.bloom@sdjewishworld.com
re Avi Netanel:
According to some, “ben [the son of] Netanel” was a distinct name. Regardless, Netanel is a composite of two words netan, meaning, gave, and Kel, meaning G‑d. Thus, as a whole the name ben Netanel means, the person [literally, the son] to whom G‑d gave the Torah.