Tikvah
Editors’ Pick

April 23, 2019

The Chinese City Founded by Russian Jews

And the disturbing efforts to preserve Harbin’s “Jewish heritage.”

Best known for its annual ice-sculpture festival, the Chinese city of Harbin—located near both North Korea and Siberia—was largely founded by Russian Jews, who made up a large share of its population for the first decades of its existence, and owned 80 percent of its real estate. Dara Horn, having returned from a visit to the city, recounts its history:

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