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 mythological place of origin in
Mesopotamia. Some examples of ancient Jewish communities nin Asia are: In
Iran (
Persian Jews) and
Kurdistan; the
Gruzim and
Juhurim of the
Caucasus; the
Bene Israel, the
Baghdadi Jews and the
Cochin Jews of
India (
Jews in India); and the
Bukharan Jews of
Uzbekistan.
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).
*
Max Black, philosopher
*
Misha Black, designer (
unconfirmed)
*
Bella Davidovich, pianist
*
Jacob Ghermezian, businessman
*
Garry Kasparov, world chess champion (Jewish father)
*
Lev Landau, physicist, Nobel Prize (1962)
*
V. A. Rokhlin, mathematician
*
Mstislav Rostropovich, cellist and conductor (Jewish parent)
*
Lotfi Zadeh, mathematician (Jewish mother)
*
Gavriil Abramovich Ilizarov,a Russian/Soviet physician, known for inventing the Ilizarov apparatus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavril_Abramovich_Ilizarov
*
Telman Ismailov, businessman
*
Yuri Bashmet, violist
*
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, Israeli politician (parents from
Harbin)
*
Jakob Rosenfeld, doctor and general in the
Chinese Liberation Army*
Sidney Shapiro, member of the People's Political Consultative Council
*
Hamilton Wen, Pwnage Soccer Player FTW
*
Sergei Ignatyevich Bernstein, linguist
*
Melvin Calvin, chemist (Georgian mother)
*
Sergei Kiriyenko, Georgian-born Premier Minister of Russia 1998 (Jewish father)
*
Roy Medvedyev*
Zhores Medvedyev*
Nemirovich-Danchenko brothers
**
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko**
Vasily Nemirovich-Danchenko*
Lev Vlassenko, pianist (Jewish mother)(unconfirmed)
*
Elly,
Lawrence &
Michael Kadoorie, businesspeople
*
Matthew Nathan,
Hong Kong governor (1904)
*
Victor Sassoon*
Nissim Ezekiel,
Bene Israel poet
*
Jack F.R. Jacob, army general,
Goa governor
*
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, writer (Indian-based 1951-75)
*
Anish Kapoor, sculptor (Baghdadi Jewish mother)
*
Pramila, Bollywood actress, first
Miss India** other
Bollywood actors include: Helen, David, Nadira & Sulochawa
*
Lord Reading, viceroy of India
*
David &
Simon Reuben, businessmen
*
David Sassoon, businessman of the community of
Baghdad Jews.
*
Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, British Indian merchant
*
Sassoon David Sassoon philanthropist and benefactor of greater Indian Jewish community.
*
Jacqueline Bhabha, philosopher and wife of Homi K Bhabha, born in Mumbai to German Jewish refugees.
*
Farhat Ezekiel Nadira, actress (1930-2006), Baghdadi Jew
*
Rachel Reuben (model) Bombay
*
Ahmad Dhani, member of dewa band
*
Rita Aaron, Indonesian model
*
Yapto S. Suryosumarno, political activist (Jewish mother)
*
Marini Suryosumarno Indonesian singer (Jewish mother)
*
Xaviera Hollander, writer (Indonesian-born; Jewish father)
*
Daniel*
Esther*
Mordecai*
Michel Abdollahi, German writer, see
German article*
Ma'mar Abu 'Ubaida (728-825), linguistician
*
Rachel Assil, singer and songwriter (Iranian parents) [
1]
*
Moses ben Hanoch, rabbi
*
Richard Danielpour, composer
*
Jacob Ghermezian & sons, businessmen
*
Ghiyathu'd-Din, mayor of palace (Muslim)
*
Roya Hakakian, writer
*
Moshe Katsav, Israeli president
*
Masarjawaih*
Shaul Mofaz, Israeli Minister of Transportation
*
Nasser David Khalili, businessman, art collector
*
Isaac Larian, inventor of
Bratz, founder of
MGA Entertainment*
Jamie Masada, founder of the
Laugh Factory comedy club
*
Yasmina Reza, playwright (Iranian father)
*
Rashid al-Din, mayor of palace (Muslim)
*
Elie Tahari, fashion designer
*
Soofer Family, founder of
Sadaf Foods*
Lotfi Zadeh, mathematician (Jewish mother)
*
Soleiman Haim*
Wahb bin Munabbih (?-732), converted to Islam (born Persian Jew on Yemen)
*
Subliminal, Israeli rapper, Kobi Shimoni
*
Rita Kleinstein, Israeli singer/actress, known popularly as "
Rita"
*
Peter Barakan, music critic (Jewish father)
*
Peter Frankl, Hungarian mathematician
*
Ayako Fujitani, model, actress, daughter of
Steven Seagal (Japanese-born; Jewish father)
*
Moshe Hattori, Rabbi, Hebraist (Japanese-born; convert to Judaism)
*
Harumi Klossowska de Rola, jewelry designer, daughter of
Balthus (Jewish father)
*
Michael Kogan, founder of
Taito*
Fumiko Kometani, author, wife of
Josh Greenfeld (Jewish husband; convert to Judaism)
*
Ian Hideo Levy, author (Jewish father)
*
Carmen Maki, singer (born Maki Annette Lovelace; Jewish-Irish father)
*
Abraham Setsuzo Kotsuji, Hebraist (Japanese-born; convert to Judaism)
*
Leonid Kreutzer, pianist
*
Kenny Nomura, baseball player (Jewish father)
*
Klaus Pringsheim*
David Rosen, founder of
SEGA (
unconfirmed)
*
Joseph Rosenstock, conductor of the
NHK Symphony Orchestra*
Kentaro Seagal, model, actor, son of
Steven Seagal (Japanese-born; Jewish father)
*
Leo Sirota &
Beate Sirota GordonSee also Japanese article*
Alexander Mashkevich, businessman
*
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian nationalist (Jewish father)
*
Alexander Vinokourov, Road bicycle racer
*
Irving Berlin(born Balin)
*
Alexander Mashkevich, businessman (Kyrgyz-born)
*
Ike Isaacs, jazz player
*
David Saul Marshall, Chief Minister
*
Sidney Abrahams, Chief Justice
*
Jeanne Hoban, political activist and trade unionist (Jewish maternal grandfather)
*
Rhoda Miller, political activist
*
Hedi Keuneman, political activist
*
Anne Ranasinghe, poet
*
Leonard Woolf, Administrative officer and author
*
Moses Znaimer, TV producer
*
Liane Balaban, actress (Jewish Uzbek father)
*
Yefim Bronfman, pianist
*
Lev Leviev, diamond tycoon
*
List of Jews*
List of Jews from the Arab World
