Jordyn Haime

Nazis are villains in the "Hellsing" series and many other anime shows. (Screenshot/ YouTube, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

May 4, 2023, 2:57 am

Does anime have a Nazi problem? Some Jewish fans think so

Japanese animation medium hit with criticism for alleged glorification of antisemitism, fascism; some experts say Nazi references more to do with Japan’s history, culture

By Jordyn Haime

Israeli Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau, third from bottom right, meets with Jeffrey Schwartz, third from left, at the Jeffrey D. Schwartz Jewish Community Center in Taipei, in February 2023. (Courtesy of the Jeffrey D. Schwartz and Na Tang Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association)

March 2, 2023, 8:50 am

Israeli chief rabbi visits Taiwan in milestone for country’s Jewish community

David Lau participates in ceremony dedicating cultural center, attends regional summit of rabbis, meets with Taiwanese officials; says impressed by locals’ dedication to tradition

By Jordyn Haime

Ho Feng-Shan poses for a photo taken while he was a Chinese consul in Egypt. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images/ via JTA)

February 20, 2023, 4:45 pm

Historical fiction novel about real-life Chinese rescuer of Jews sparks controversy

The daughter of Ho Feng-Shan, a Vienna-based diplomat who in WWII issued thousands of illicit exit visas to Shanghai, protests the blurring of fact and fiction in ‘Night Angels’

By Jordyn Haime

From left: Brod goreng, corn fritters and negi latkes. (Screenshot from YouTube/Beqs Kitchen/Rosita Goldstein/Jeremy Freeman via JTA)

December 24, 2022, 5:51 am

4 Hanukkah recipes from across Asia that mix local cultures with Diaspora traditions

Some Jewish communities on the continent are said to go back millenia, while others stem from more recent arrivals – but they all have their own delicious take on Jewish cuisine

By Jordyn Haime

Jews 'have special emotions toward the Chinese,' Rabbi Matt Trusch explains in a Douyin video aimed at the vast Chinese audience. (Courtesy/ via JTA)

August 26, 2022, 5:40 am

A Texas rabbi is fighting Jewish stereotypes on China’s TikTok

Matt Trusch lived in China for years, but it’s been tough to go back to visit during the pandemic era. Now he’s found a way to connect with Chinese speakers that has gone viral

By Jordyn Haime

Illustrative: Jews pray during Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, at the Magen Abraham Synagogue in Ahmedabad, India on September 28, 2020. (Sam Panthaky/AFP)

July 26, 2022, 10:58 am

Stone pillar in southern India may shed new light on region’s oldest synagogue

Jewish groups have history in India dating back to antiquity; pillar found not far from Chennai, where Sephardic Jews who fled the Spanish Inquisition formed a community

By Jordyn Haime

A vehicle with Nazi symbols on it that was parked near the Israeli consulate in Chengdu, China (Twitter)

July 26, 2022, 10:03 am

Car covered with Nazi symbols raises alarm in China, leads to arrest of local

Israeli consulate in Chengdu alerts Chinese authorities to vehicle displaying swastika and eagle; owner, arrested, says he was not aware of their meaning

By Jordyn Haime

A Taiwanese dance teacher practices Israeli folk dance in Yilan, Taiwan. (Jordyn Haime)/ JTA

July 4, 2022, 5:34 am

How Israeli songs became integral to Taiwan’s national folk dancing tradition

Dating back to the nationalist Kuomintang government era, the pastime is still beloved by many Taiwanese of a certain age – and Hebrew classics make up a big part of the repertoire

By Jordyn Haime

A view of Schragel’s Bagels in Hong Kong. (Jordyn Haime/ JTA)

June 30, 2022, 1:30 am

In Hong Kong, dreams for a new Jewish deli devolve into a war between owners

A dispute is going public via the restaurant’s social media, splitting the public and airing unsavory accusations of harassment, mob-like activity and cultural appropriation

By Jordyn Haime

Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, center, gestures as he attends a memorial ceremony at the Hall of Remembrance as he visits the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem, Wednesday, October 24, 2018. (Gali Tibbon/Pool Photo via AP)

April 6, 2022, 5:43 am

Chinese media keeps referencing the Holocaust – here’s why

Experts say China’s state-run outlets draw attention to the 20,000 Jews who took refuge in Shanghai during WWII to deflect criticism of the regime’s treatment of minority Uighurs

By Jordyn Haime

Purim in Shanghai, 2020. (courtesy, Hannah Maia Frishberg/ via JTA)

March 25, 2022, 12:34 pm

New strict COVID regulations in Far East push Jewish communities to adapt creatively

As the pandemic achieves some normalcy in North America after two years, Asia’s ‘zero COVID’ countries are in their third year — and a new wave

By Jordyn Haime

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to their talks in Beijing, China, on February 4, 2022. (Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

March 6, 2022, 1:03 pm

China adopts Russia’s ‘denazification’ myth to rationalize invasion of Ukraine

Official Chinese news sites have also published baseless claims that the US trained Ukrainian neo-Nazis to destabilize Hong Kong during protests there in 2019

By Jordyn Haime

Rabbi Yaakov Baruch makes a speech at the Shaar HaShamayim synagogue in Indonesia. (Yaakov Baruch via JTA)

February 10, 2022, 9:35 pm

Indonesia Muslim groups demand closure of country’s first-ever Holocaust exhibition

Display at country’s only synagogue criticized over claimed attempts by Israel to normalize relations; rabbi says he wants ‘to educate Indonesians on the danger of antisemitism’

By Jordyn Haime

Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law K. Shanmugam tours the museum with Nash Benjamin, center, the president of Singapore’s Jewish Welfare Board, and the Chief Rabbi of Singapore Mordechai Abergel. (Jewish Welfare Board of Singapre/ via JTA)

January 9, 2022, 12:23 am

A new museum tells the story of Singapore’s Jews, starting with their Baghdad roots

Countless landmarks in the city pay homage to the contributions and rich 200-year history of the small Jewish community, which now has a place to showcase its achievements

By Jordyn Haime

A view from Tamanart, Morocco. (Marokko-erfahren/Wikimedia Commons via JTA)

January 2, 2022, 5:53 pm

Researchers discover ruins of 16th-century Jewish community in Morocco

Ruins of Tamanart synagogue found during preliminary survey of Jewish sites in area, thanks to locals who remembered Jewish neighbors leaving 70 years ago

By Jordyn Haime