List of Asian Jews

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.

Azerbaijan

* Max Black, philosopher [Encyclopaedia Judaica, 2nd ed.]
* Misha Black, designer; brother of Max Black [Encyclopaedia Judaica, 2nd ed.]
* Bella Davidovich, pianist
* Gary Kasparov, Jewish- Armenian born in Baku
* Gavril Abramovich Ilizarov, a Russian/Soviet physician, known for inventing the Ilizarov apparatus
* Lev Landau, physicist, Nobel Prize (1962)
* Lev Nussimbaum, writer (a.k.a. Kurban Said)
* V. A. Rokhlin, mathematician

China

* 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

Georgia

* Melvin Calvin, chemist (Georgian mother)
* Sergei Kiriyenko, Georgian-born Premier Minister of Russia 1998 (Jewish father)
* Akiva Megrelashvili, footballer
* Haim Megrelashvili, footballer
* Shimi Tavori, singer

Hong Kong

* Ellis, Elly, Lawrence, Dean Wiener, & Michael Kadoorie, businesspeople
* Matthew Nathan, Hong Kong governor (1904)
* Victor Sassoon

India

* Jacqueline Bhabha, philosopher, wife of Homi K. Bhabha, born in Mumbai to German Jewish refugees.
* David Abraham Cheulkar, actor (Bene Israeli)
* 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 Shek, chef, Moshe's
* Farhat Ezekiel Nadira, actress (1930–2006), Baghdadi Jew
* Pearl Padamsee,theatre personality (part Jewish)
* Esther Victoria Abraham Khan (a.k.a Pramila), Bollywood actress, first Miss India
* Lord Reading, viceroy of India
* David and Simon Reuben, businessmen
* David Sassoon, businessman of the community of Baghdadi 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
* Henry Wenk, Jewish mother and Juish Preist.

Indonesia

* Mariana Renata, Indonesian model and actrees (Jewish father, converted to Catholicism)
* Xaviera Hollander, writer (Indonesian-born; Jewish father)
* Ahmad Dhani, Indonesian singer-songwriter (Jewish ancestry) although he is a muslim
* Yapto Soerjosoemarno, Indonesian politician (Jewish mother).
* Yaacov Baruch, Indonesian Jewish Community leader in Manado. He descended from Dutch-Jews Van Beugen family, according to the Jewish Times. [http://www.jewishtimesasia.org/content/view/251/43/]

Iran/Persia

* Daniel
* Esther
* Mordecai
* Michel Abdollahi, German writer, see German article
* Rachel Assil, singer and songwriter (Persian parents) [http://rachelassil.com]
* Moses ben Hanoch, rabbi
* Ehud Banai, musician
* Yossi Banai, performer
* Soleyman Binafard, wrestler
* Richard Danielpour, composer
* Saeed Emami - Intelligence officer
* 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 [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=239&letter=M JE]
* Mashallah, astrologer and astronomer
* Shaul Mofaz, Israeli Minister of Transportation
* Noah McClanan, bassist, currently lives in Massachusetts
* Nasser David Khalili, businessman, art collector
* Isaac Larian, inventor of Bratz, founder of MGA Entertainment
* 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

Japan/Korea

* Peter Frankl, Hungarian mathematician
* Marty Friedman American Guitarist
* Michael Kogan, founder of Taito
* Fumiko Kometani, author, wife of Josh Greenfeld (Jewish husband; convert to Judaism)
* Ian Hideo Levy, author (Jewish father)
* Leonid Kreutzer, pianist
* Klaus Pringsheim
* David Rosen, founder of SEGA ("unconfirmed")
* Joseph Rosenstock, conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra
* Leo Sirota & Beate Sirota Gordon

:"See also Japanese article"

Kazakhstan

* Alexander Mashkevich, businessman
* Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian nationalist (Jewish father)

Kyrgyzstan

* Alexander Mashkevich, businessman (Kyrgyz-born)
* Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russian minister (Kyrgyz-born)

Myanmar

* Ike Isaacs, jazz player

Philippines

* Kyle Bonalle, Leader of a small Synagogue in Miletus

ingapore

* David Saul Marshall, Chief Minister

ri Lanka

* Sidney Abrahams, Chief Justice
* Jeanne Hoban, political activist and trade unionist (Jewish maternal grandfather)
* Hedi Keuneman, political activist
* Anne Ranasinghe, poet
* Leonard Woolf, Administrative officer and author

Tajikistan

*Rena Galibova - Soviet actress, "People's Artist of Tajikistan"
*Malika Kalantarova - Famous Dancer, "People's Artist of Soviet Union"
*Fatima Kuinova - Soviet singer, "Merited Artist of the Soviet Union"
*Shoista Mullodzhanova - Famous Shashmakon singer, "People's Artist of Tajikistan" (viewed as the Queen of Tajik Music)
*Moses Znaimer, TV producer

Mongolia

Sumati Lusandendev, most famous Jewish Mongol and leader of Mongolian Jewish Community

Thailand

Uzbekistan

*Jacques Abramoff - Monegasque businessman, inventor, past president of the Monaco Jewish Community
*Yisrael Aharoni - Famous Israeli chef and restaurateur
*Zvia Leviev Alazarov - Businesswoman and Vice President of Marketing for the Africa Israel Investments.
*Jacob Arabo - Proprietor of Jacob & Co.
*Ari Babakhanov - Famous musician from Uzbekistan
*Liane Balaban, actress (Jewish Uzbek father)
*Yefim Bronfman, pianist
*Lev Leviev, diamond tycoon
*Ilyas Malayev- Musician and Poet from Uzbekistan
*Dorrit Moussaieff - First Lady of Iceland
*Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson - Author
*Shlomo Moussaieff (businessman) - Israeli millionaire businessman
*Shlomo Moussaieff (rabbi) - Co-founder of the Bukharian Quarter in Jerusalem
*Gavriel Mullokandov – Popular shashmakom artist, "People's Artist of Uzbekistan"
*James Raphael - Classical pianist
*Anthony Yadgaroff - British Businessman, Jewish community leader
*Itzhak Yehoshua - Chief Rabbi of the Bukharian Jews in the USA
*Suleiman Yudakov - Soviet composer and musician, "People's Artist of the Soviet Union"

ee also

*List of Jews
*List of Jews from the Arab World

Footnotes