List of Asian Jews
Encyclopedia
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 Bukharan 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.
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
migrating or fleeing eastward from their place of origin in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
. Some examples of ancient Jewish communities in Asia are: In Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
(Persian Jews
Persian Jews
Persian Jews , are Jews historically associated with Iran, traditionally known as Persia in Western sources.Judaism is one of the oldest religions practiced in Iran. The Book of Esther contains some references to the experiences of Jews in Persia...
) and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
(Iraqi Jews); the Georgian Jews
Georgian Jews
The Georgian Jews are from the nation of Georgia, in the Caucasus...
and Mountain Jews
Mountain Jews
Highland Jews, Mountain Jews or Kavkazi Jews also known as Juvuro or Juhuro, are Jews of the eastern Caucasus, mainly of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. They are also known as Caucasus Jews, Caucasian Jews, or less commonly East Caucasian Jews, because the majority of these Jews settled the eastern part...
of the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
; the Bene Israel
Bene Israel
The Bene Israel are a group of Jews who migrated in the 19th century from villages in the Konkan area to the nearby Indian cities, primarily Mumbai, but also to Pune, and Ahmedabad. Prior to these waves of emigrations and to this day, the Bene Israel formed the largest sector of the subcontinent's...
, the Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews, also known as Iraqi Jews, are Jewish emigrants from Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, who fled religious persecution and formed immigrant communities in their new homelands...
and the Cochin Jews
Cochin Jews
Cochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews , are the oldest group of Jews in India, with roots claimed to date to the time of King Solomon, though historically attested migration dates from the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Historically, they lived in the Kingdom of Cochin in South India, now part of the...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(Jews in India); and the Bukharan Jews
Bukharan Jews
Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, or яҳудиёни Бухоро Yahūdieni Bukhoro , Bukhori Hebrew Script: יהודיאני בוכאראי and יהודיאני בוכארי), also called the Binai Israel, are Jews from Central Asia who speak Bukhori, a dialect of the Tajik-Persian language...
of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
once had an established Jewish community in Kaifeng
Kaifeng Jews
The Kaifeng Jews are members of a small Jewish community that has existed in Kaifeng, in the Henan province of China, for hundreds of years. Jews in modern China have traditionally called themselves Youtai in Mandarin Chinese which is also the predominant contemporary Chinese language term for...
.
Here is a partial list of some prominent Asian Jews, arranged by country of origin. Note that those regions of Asia where Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
or Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
or Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
predominate are excluded from this list (except for the Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews, also known as Iraqi Jews, are Jewish emigrants from Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, who fled religious persecution and formed immigrant communities in their new homelands...
from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
); see Arab Jews
Arab Jews
Arab Jews is a term referring to Jews living in the Arab World, or Jews descended from such persons.The term was occasionally used in the early 20th century, mainly by Arab nationalists, to describe the 1 million Jews living in the Arab world at the time...
, Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
and Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
for information on these populations.
Azerbaijan
- Max BlackMax BlackMax Black was a British-American philosopher, who was a leading influential figure in analytic philosophy in the first half of the twentieth century. He made contributions to the philosophy of language, the philosophy of mathematics and science, and the philosophy of art, also publishing studies...
, philosopher - Misha BlackMisha BlackSir Misha Black was an Azerbaijan-born British architect and designer. In 1933 he founded with associates in London the organisation which became the Artists’ International Association. From 1959 to 1975 he was a professor of industrial design at the Royal College of Art in London, England...
, designer; brother of Max Black - Bella DavidovichBella DavidovichBella Mikhaylovna Davidovich is a Jewish Soviet-born American pianist.Davidovich was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, into a family of musicians and began studying piano when she was six. Three years later, she was the soloist for a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1. In 1939, she moved to...
, pianist - Garry KasparovGarry KasparovGarry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
, chess grandmaster - Gavril Abramovich IlizarovGavril Abramovich IlizarovGavriil Abramovich Ilizarov was a Soviet physician, known for inventing the Ilizarov apparatus for lengthening limb bones and for his eponymous surgery...
, Soviet physician, known for inventing the Ilizarov apparatus - Lev LandauLev LandauLev Davidovich Landau was a prominent Soviet physicist who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics...
, physicist, Nobel Prize (1962) - Lev NussimbaumLev NussimbaumLev Nussimbaum was a writer and journalist, a Jew, born in Kiev, who spent his childhood in Baku before fleeing the Bolsheviks in 1920 at the age of 14...
, writer (a.k.a. Kurban SaidKurban SaidKurban Said .Kurban Said is the pseudonym for the author of Ali and Nino, a novel originally published in 1937 in the German language by the Austrian publisher, E.P. Tal...
) - Vladimir Rokhlin, mathematician
China
- Morris CohenMorris Cohen (adventurer)Morris Abraham "Two-Gun" Cohen was a British mercenary of Jewish origin who became aide-de-camp to the Chinese leader Sun Yat-sen and a major-general in the Chinese army.-Early years:...
, bodyguard of Sun Yat-SenSun Yat-senSun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China... - Misha DichterMisha DichterMisha Dichter is a classical pianist who was born in Shanghai to Polish-Jewish parents who fled Europe at the outbreak of World War II.-Biography:...
, pianist (Chinese-born) - Israel EpsteinIsrael EpsteinIsrael Epstein was a naturalized Chinese journalist and author...
, journalist, author - Edmond Fischer, biochemist, Nobel Prize (1992) (Chinese-born; Jewish father)
- Jakob RosenfeldJakob RosenfeldJakob Rosenfeld , more commonly known as General Luo, served as the Minister of Health in the 1947 Provisional Communist Military Government of China under Mao Zedong....
, doctor and general in the People's Liberation ArmyPeople's Liberation ArmyThe People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China... - Sidney ShapiroSidney ShapiroSidney Shapiro is an American-born author and translator who has lived in China since 1947. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he is of Jewish ethnicity. He resides in Beijing, and is a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Council...
, member of the People's Political Consultative Council - Zhao YingchengZhao YingchengZhao Yingcheng 赵映乘 was a mandarin in China during the Ming dynasty and a Jew. He and his brother Zhao Yingdou, also a mandarin, held important government posts in the 1660s.-Life and career:...
(Hebrew: Moshe ben Abram), Ming dynastyMing DynastyThe Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
mandarinMandarin (bureaucrat)A mandarin was a bureaucrat in imperial China, and also in the monarchist days of Vietnam where the system of Imperial examinations and scholar-bureaucrats was adopted under Chinese influence.-History and use of the term:...
Hong Kong
- EllisEllis KadoorieSir Ellis Kadoorie , philanthropist and member of the wealthy Baghdadian family that had large business interests in the Far East. His brother was Sir Elly Kadoorie, and his nephew was Lawrence Kadoorie...
, EllyElly KadoorieSir Elly Kadoorie , philanthropist and member of the wealthy Baghdadian Family that had large business interests in the Far East. His brother was Sir Ellis Kadoorie, and his sons are sir Lawrence Kadoorie and sir Horace Kadoorie...
, Lawrence, & Michael KadoorieMichael KadoorieThe Hon. Sir Michael David Kadoorie, GBS is a business executive and philanthropist. As of March 2011, he is the 6th wealthiest person in Hong Kong, with the wealth of his family estimated to be 6.1 billion US dollars according to Forbes' annual list of billionaires.The son of business tycoon...
, businesspeople - Matthew NathanMatthew NathanLieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan GCMG, PC was a British soldier and civil servant, who variously served as the Governor of Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal and Queensland...
, Hong Kong governorGovernor of Hong KongThe Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...
(1904) - Victor SassoonVictor SassoonSir Ellice "Victor" Sassoon, 3rd Baronet, GBE was a businessman and hotelier from the Sassoon banking family. He succeeded to the Baronetcy on the death of his father Edward Elias Sassoon in 1924...
, businessman and hotelier
India
- Joseph RabbanJoseph RabbanJoseph Rabban was a Jewish merchant, possibly from Yemen, who came to the Malabar Coast in the mid eighth century. According to the traditions of the Cochin Jews, Joseph was granted the rank of prince over the Jews of Cochin by the Chera ruler Bhaskara Ravivarman II.He was granted the rulership...
, given copper plates of special grants from the CheraChera dynastyChera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...
ruler Bhaskara Ravivarman II from KeralaKeralaor Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
in South IndiaSouth IndiaSouth India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area... - David Abraham CheulkarDavid Abraham CheulkarDavid Abraham Cheulkar , popularly known as David, was a Jewish-Indian, Hindi film actor, who started his film career with 1941 film Naya Sansar and went on to act in over 110 films....
, actor - Nissim EzekielNissim Ezekiel' was an Indian Jewish poet, playwright, editor and art-critic. He was a foundational figure in postcolonial India's literary history, specifically for Indian writing in English....
, poet - J F R Jacob, former Governor of Punjab and GoaGoaGoa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
; the Chief of Staff of the Indian ArmyIndian ArmyThe Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
's Eastern Command - Gerry JudahGerry JudahGerry Judah is a British artist and designer who has created settings for theatre, film, television, museums and public spaces...
, artist and designer - Anish KapoorAnish KapoorAnish Kapoor CBE RA is a British sculptor of Indian birth. Born in Mumbai , Kapoor has lived and worked in London since the early 1970s when he moved to study art, first at the Hornsey College of Art and later at the Chelsea School of Art and Design.He represented Britain in the XLIV Venice...
, sculptor (Baghdadi Jewish mother) - Samson KehimkarSamson KehimkarSamson Kehimkar was a Jewish violinist and sitar player from India. One of the pioneers of ethnic and world music in Israel. Before emigrating in 1976, he played in Indian classical orchestras, film and pop bands. One of the founding members of "Habrera Hativit"...
, musician - Ezekiel Isaac MalekarEzekiel Isaac MalekarEzekiel Isaac Malekar is the head of the Jewish community in New Delhi, India. He is the Honorary Secretary of the Judah Hyam Synagogue at the corner of Humayun road, where he works voluntarily. The Synagogue, in addition to serving the Jewish community of New Delhi, caters to the Jewish diplomats...
, Bene IsraelBene IsraelThe Bene Israel are a group of Jews who migrated in the 19th century from villages in the Konkan area to the nearby Indian cities, primarily Mumbai, but also to Pune, and Ahmedabad. Prior to these waves of emigrations and to this day, the Bene Israel formed the largest sector of the subcontinent's...
RabbiRabbiIn Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah... - Pearl PadamseePearl PadamseePearl Padamsee was an Indian theatre personality as a stage actress, director and producer of English language theatre in Mumbai active in 1950s - 1990s.She also acted a few Hindi and English language films...
, theatre personality (part Jewish) - David and Simon Reuben, businessmen
- NadiraNadira (actress)-References:* Rediff.com* -External links:* . Audio podcast by Eric Molinsky discussing Nadira and other Jewish women in Indian cinema...
, actress of the 1950s and 1960s. - David SassoonDavid SassoonDavid Sassoon was the treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829. He became the leader of the Jewish community in Bombay after Baghdadi Jews emigrated there.-Biography:...
, businessman - Albert Abdullah David SassoonAlbert Abdullah David SassoonSir Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, 1st Baronet, KCB, CSI, , a British Indian philanthropist and merchant, was born a Jew in Baghdad, a member of a family that had lived there since the beginning of the 16th century, having been expelled from Spain in the 1490s. He was named Abdullah at birth, but...
, British Indian merchant - Sassoon David SassoonSassoon David SassoonSassoon David Sassoon , a British Indian merchant, was born at Bombay , a member of a family settled there since the beginning of the 16th century, and previously in Spain...
philanthropist and benefactor of greater Indian Jewish community. - Solomon SopherSolomon SopherSolomon Sopher is the president of the Baghdadi Jewish community in Mumbai, India. He also serves as the Trustee of the David Sassoon Fund, and as the chairman and managing director of Sir Jacob Sassoon Trust, which manages the Knesset Eliyahoo synagogues in Mumbai, as well as the Magen David and...
, Jewish community leader
- Ellis KadoorieEllis KadoorieSir Ellis Kadoorie , philanthropist and member of the wealthy Baghdadian family that had large business interests in the Far East. His brother was Sir Elly Kadoorie, and his nephew was Lawrence Kadoorie...
and Elly KadoorieElly KadoorieSir Elly Kadoorie , philanthropist and member of the wealthy Baghdadian Family that had large business interests in the Far East. His brother was Sir Ellis Kadoorie, and his sons are sir Lawrence Kadoorie and sir Horace Kadoorie...
, philanthropists - Horace KadoorieHorace KadoorieSir Horace Kadoorie, CBE was a famous industrialist, hotelier, and philanthropist. His father was Sir Elly Kadoorie, and his uncle, Sir Ellis Kadoorie. His family were originally Iraqi Jews from Baghdad who later migrated to Bombay , India in the mid-18th century...
, philanthropist - Ruby MyersRuby MyersSulochana , real name Ruby Myers) was an Indian silent film star of Jewish ancestry, although it is unclear whether she descended from an Ashkenazi family, Bene Israeli family, or both....
, Bollywood actress of the 1920s, otherwise known as Sulochana - Lalchanhima SailoLalchanhima SailoLalchhanhima Sailo is the founder of Chhinlung Israel People's Convention and a leader in the Bnei Menashe community.-External links:* BBC News - April 1, 2005...
, rabbi - Abraham Barak SalemAbraham Barak SalemAbraham Barak Salem was an Indian nationalist and Zionist, one of the most prominent Cochin Jews of the twentieth century.-Early life:...
, Cochin JewCochin JewsCochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews , are the oldest group of Jews in India, with roots claimed to date to the time of King Solomon, though historically attested migration dates from the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Historically, they lived in the Kingdom of Cochin in South India, now part of the...
Indian nationalist leader - Bensiyon SongavkarBensiyon SongavkarBensiyon Morisbhai Songavkar is an Indian professional cricketer who has represented Saurashtra.- Playing career :In 2008, Songavkar was included in a special Israel squad that played against India in a special match in honour of Israel's 60th anniversary...
, professional cricketer
Iran/Persia
- Michel Abdollahi, German writer
- Moses ben HanochMoses ben HanochMoses ben Hanoch or Moses ben Enoch was a medieval rabbi who inadvertently became the preeminent Talmudic scholar of Spain. He died about 965....
, rabbi - Yossi BanaiYossi BanaiYossi Banai was an Israeli performer, singer, actor, and dramatist.-Biography:Banai was born in Jerusalem, and grew up in the neighborhood of the Mahane Yehuda market...
, performer - Soleyman BinafardSoleyman BinafardSoleyman Binafard is a former Iranian sport wrestler who holds the distinction of being the only Jew in Iran to join Iran's national wrestling team.He started to wrestle freestyle in 1950 at the age of 15...
, wrestler - Jimmy DelshadJimmy DelshadJamshid "Jimmy" Delshad is an Iranian-American politician in the state of California. He became Mayor of Beverly Hills on March 21, 2007 and again on March 16, 2010. He is the first Iranian-American to hold public office in Beverly Hills.-Biography:...
, Californian politician - Roya HakakianRoya HakakianRoya Hakakian is an Iranian-American poet, journalist and writer living in the United States. A lauded Persian poet turned television producer with programs like 60 Minutes, Roya became well known for her memoir, Journey from the Land of No in 2004. Her essays on Iranian issues appear in the New...
, writer - Moshe KatsavMoshe KatsavMoshe Katsav is an Israeli politician. He served as the eighth President of Israel, a leading Likud member of the Israeli Knesset, and a Cabinet Minister in its government....
, Israeli president - Rita KleinsteinRita KleinsteinRita Yahan-Farouz is an Iranian-born Israeli pop singer and actress.-Early life:Rita Yahan-Farouz was born in Tehran, Iran. Her family emigrated to Israel in 1970.-Musical and acting career:-1980s:...
, Israeli singer/actress, known popularly as "RitaRitaRita is a common female first name, often a name in its own right, but mostly a shortened version of either Rachel or Margaret. The name may refer to:-Given name:* Rita of Armenia , Empress of Byzantium...
" - Janet Kohan-SedqJanet Kohan-SedqJanet Cohansedgh is a former Iranian athlete who died at the height of her career. She was a national champion and holder of a number of records in the early and mid-1960s. A graduate of the Anushiravan High School, she received a degree in physical education from the University of Tehran. Her...
, track and field athlete - MasarjawaihMasarjawaihMāsarjawaih was one of the earliest Arabic Jewish physicians, and the earliest translator from the Syriac; he lived in Basra about 683 . His name, distorted, has been transmitted in European sources; it has not yet been satisfactorily explained. Neuda Māsarjawaih was one of the earliest Arabic...
- Mashallah ibn Athari, astrologer and astronomer
- Shaul MofazShaul MofazLt. General Shaul Mofaz is an Israeli politician who serves as the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs And Defense Committee at the Knesset...
, Israeli Minister of Transportation - Bahar SoomekhBahar SoomekhBahar Soomekh is an Iranian-American actress and environmental activist. She began acting in the early 2000s, and is perhaps best known for her roles in the films Crash , Mission: Impossible III , and Saw III .-Early life:...
, American actress - Soleiman HaimSoleiman HaimSolayman Haïm , whose dictionaries appeared in English under the name Sulayman Hayyim Solayman Haïm (also Soleyman Soly Haïm or Soleiman Haïm), whose dictionaries appeared in English under the name Sulayman Hayyim (Persian: سلیمان حییم) Solayman Haïm (also Soleyman Soly Haïm or Soleiman Haïm),...
, among first compilers of PersianPersian languagePersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
dictionary
Japan
- Michael KoganMichael Koganwas a Russian Jewish businessman who founded the Japanese games maker Taito Corporation. He was born in Odessa, but his family moved to Harbin, Manchuria to escape the Russian Revolution of 1917, where he later met Colonel Yasue Norihiro, a member of the Japanese Army's intelligence services and...
, founder of TaitoTaito CorporationThe is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company.... - Ian Hideo Levy, author (Jewish father)
- Leonid KreutzerLeonid KreutzerLeonid Kreutzer was a classical pianist.Kreutzer was born to a family of German Jewish parents. He was a highly influential piano teacher at the Berlin Academy of Music , together with Egon Petri...
, pianist - Klaus Pringsheim, composer, conductor, music-educator
- Joseph RosenstockJoseph RosenstockJoseph Rosenstock was a Polish Jewish conductor.-Early years:He worked at the State Opera in Wiesbaden before being brought into the Metropolitan Opera in New York to replace Artur Bodanzky in 1928...
, conductor of the NHK Symphony OrchestraNHK Symphony OrchestraThe in Tokyo, Japan began as the New Symphony Orchestra on October 5, 1926 and was the country's first professional symphony orchestra. Later, it changed its name to Japan Symphony Orchestra and in 1951, after receiving financial support from NHK, it took its current name... - Leo SirotaLeo SirotaLeo Sirota was a Jewish pianist born in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Podolskaya Guberniya, Russian Empire, now Ukraine....
& Beate Sirota Gordon
Kyrgyzstan
- Alexander Mashkevich, businessman (Kyrgyz-born)
- Michael GlozmanMichael GlozmanMichael Glozman is an Israeli composer, music arranger, singer and conductor. Born in the Soviet Union , he was educated in music at the prestigious Sveshnikov Choir Academy in Moscow and at the Rubin Conservatory in Tel Aviv.-Activity:After making aliyah in 1991, he composed musical scores for...
, musician (Kyrgyz-born)
Sri Lanka
- Sidney AbrahamsSidney AbrahamsSir Sidney Solomon Abrahams , nicknamed Solly, was a British Olympic athlete and Chief Justice of Ceylon . He was the older brother of famed Olympian Harold Abrahams....
, Chief Justice - Hedi KeunemanHedi StadlenHedi Stadlen , better known in Sri Lanka as Hedi Keuneman, was an Austrian Jewish philosopher, political activist, and musicologist. She was one of the handful of European Radicals in Sri Lanka.-Vienna:...
, political activist - Leonard WoolfLeonard WoolfLeonard Sidney Woolf was an English political theorist, author, publisher and civil servant, and husband of author Virginia Woolf.-Early life:...
, administrative officer and author
Tajikistan
- Rena GalibovaRena GalibovaRena Galibova was a Tajikistani actress and opera singer who was named the People’s Artist of Tajikistan. She was born in the city of Kokand in 1915 to a progressive Bukharan Jewish family...
, actress, "People's Artist of Tajikistan" - Malika Kalantarova, dancer, "People's Artist of Soviet Union"
- Fatima KuinovaFatima KuinovaFatima Kuinova is a Bukharian Jewish Shashmakom singer. She was named "Merited Artist of the Soviet Union".Kuinova was born in Samarqand, Uzbek SSR, but moved to Stalinabad, Tajik SSR with her seven brothers and two sisters when she was thirteen years old, after their father was jailed and...
, singer, "Merited Artist of the Soviet Union" - Shoista MullodzhanovaShoista MullodzhanovaShoista Mullojonova was a renowned Tajik-born Bukharian Jewish Shashmakom singer.-Early life:...
, shashmakon singer, "People's Artist of Tajikistan" (viewed as the Queen of Tajik Music) - Moses ZnaimerMoses ZnaimerMoses Znaimer, M.A., O.Ont is a co-founder and former head of Citytv, the first independent television station in Toronto, Canada, and the current head of ZoomerMedia.-Early life and career:...
, TV producer
Uzbekistan
- Jacques Abramoff, Monegasque businessman, inventor, past president of the Monaco Jewish CommunityHistory of the Jews in MonacoMonaco had a very small Jewish presence prior to World War II, numbering approximately 300 people. During the war, the principality's government issued false identity papers to its Jewish residents to protect them from Nazi deportation. Prince Louis II refused to dismiss Jewish civil servants and...
- Ari BabakhanovAri BabakhanovThe Central Asian musician Ari Babakhanov of Uzbekistan masters excellently the long-necked lutes tanbur, qashqari rubab and dutar. In 1934 he was born in Bukhara into a Jewish family which can look back on an outstanding dynasty of traditional musicians. It was founded by his grandfather Levi...
, musician - Yefim BronfmanYefim BronfmanYefim "Fima" Naumovich Bronfman is a Soviet-born Israeli-American pianist.-Biography:He was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, and emigrated to Israel at the age of 15...
, pianist - Lev LevievLev LevievLev Avnerovich Leviev is a Bukharian-Israeli billionaire businessman, with a net worth of roughly $1.5 billion following the 2008 global financial crisis. Leviev is one of the most prominent Mizrahi Jewish individuals in the world and has been a major philanthropist for Jewish causes in Eastern...
, diamond tycoon - Ilyas MalayevIlyas MalayevIlyas Malayev was an Uzbekistani musician and poet.Malayev was born in Mary to Efraim and Yelizaveta Malayev, a Bukharian Jewish family and raised in the Uzbek town of Katta-Kurgan near Bukhara...
, musician and poet - Shlomo Moussaieff (businessman)Shlomo Moussaieff (businessman)Shlomo Moussaieff is an Israeli millionaire of Bukharian Jewish descent who has lived in London since the early 1960s. He is the son of Rehavia Moussaieff, and grandson of Shlomo Moussaieff of Bukhara. He made most of his fortune by selling precious jewelry to international royalty and high...
, Israeli businessman - Shlomo Moussaieff (rabbi)Shlomo Moussaieff (rabbi)Shlomo Moussaieff was born in the city of Bukhara in 1852 in what is today Uzbekistan and was one of the founders of the Bukharian Quarter in Jerusalem...
, co-founder of the Bukharian Quarter in Jerusalem - Gavriel MullokandovGavriel MullokandovGavriel Mullokandov is widely regarded as the greatest Bukharian Jewish singer and musician. He was the People’s Artist of Uzbekistan....
, shashmakom artist, "People's Artist of Uzbekistan" - Suleiman Yudakov, composer and musician, "People's Artist of the Soviet Union"