Jewish Tradition in Muslim Xinjiang
During a trip several months ago in Xinjiang I noticed something quite peculiar in a typical Muslim restaurant: a tablecloth with Hebrew 
writing (sorry, picture is slightly out of focus, but it should be clear enough). Now Islam and Judaism share roots, but I would not tell that to a Uyghur guy wielding one of the region’s trademark enormous knives. Jews are not loved in the area, even if virtually no one has met one.
Curious as to how this tablecloth came to have Central Asian-style lamb on it, I asked my waitress what the writing meant. Not surprisingly she had no idea. I asked her what language it was and she said she really was not sure.
If anyone out there knows why exactly there are Hebrew characters in a Xinjiang restaurant, please share. Perhaps there is some history of Jews coming over through Central Asia that I do not know about. Of course, there were some in Kaifeng, but it seems highly unlikely they left this large an impression in Xinjiang hundreds of years later.
The more time I spent there, the more I became convinced that a lot of the people would actually have an affinity for Jews. Hey, they have bagels right? Now if only they had lox.
Elana responds:
Posted: December 22nd, 2007 at 4:50 am →
It says “Shabbat Shalom” so it’s clearly a Sabbath tablecloth. Were they everywhere in the restaurant?
What about Chinese people who love Jewish food? Bagels in Beijing! | The Fortune Cookie Chronicles responds:
Posted: December 29th, 2007 at 12:37 am →
[...] The photo on the top is not from H&H, it’s actually from Xinjiang, from cupofcha. [...]
Adam responds:
Posted: January 19th, 2008 at 12:05 am →
I am not sure how the Jewish tablecloth made its way to Xinjiang, but Jewish merchants traveled the Silk Road. I recall seeing Hebrew characters on a scroll at a museum in Dunhuang.
Valery Novoselsky responds:
Posted: March 18th, 2008 at 4:39 am →
There is no surprise here from the historical point of view. For centuries the Jews from Bukhara participated in international trade via Silk Road. More then that, I recall reading the mention in one article about a small Jewish community, which existed in Urumchi in the past.
boruch responds:
Posted: June 23rd, 2008 at 4:23 pm →
Valery was right. There is a beutiful shul in Bukhara. Perhaps the table cloth
owner was somehow related to the Bukhara’s ( Central Asia ) Jew