A multipurpose Jewish community center opened in Taipei on Wednesday is to be a “new hub” for Jewish culture in Taiwan while fostering exchanges with Taiwanese, the Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association said.
“We wanted to share Jewish culture, traditions, education and religion” in Taiwan and “offer a space to call home for Jewish people in Taiwan,” Taipei-based businessman Jeffrey Schwartz said of the founding of the association.
“This goes beyond cultivating Jewish culture in Taiwan,” said Schwartz, who began working on the initiative to build the center in 2018 with his Taiwanese wife, Na Tang (?娜).
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“Our goal was to integrate the strengths of Taiwanese people and the fortes of Jewish people,” he told an inauguration ceremony. “We also want all Jewish people around the world to see the value and beauty of our Isla Formosa and to facilitate opportunities for global exchanges for Taiwan.”
The 2,090m2 Jeffrey D. Schwartz Jewish Community Center, named after the founder and chief executive officer of Four Star Group Inc, houses a synagogue, a mikveh (ritual bath), a kosher restaurant, banquet rooms, a kindergarten, and a museum of Jewish art and antiquities, the association’s Web site shows.
“The community center is at the center of Taipei, providing people with an opportunity to access and understand the Jewish culture with ease,” Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) told the ceremony.
Vice President William Lai (賴清德) said that the center would help “build a bridge for communication and interaction between Taiwanese and Jewish cultures.”
It would also promote friendship between the people of Taiwan and the Jewish community, Lai said, adding that both groups cherish the values of human rights and freedom.
Israeli Representative to Taiwan Omer Caspi said that the community center is “a significant and exciting milestone in the development of Jewish life in Taiwan.”
It symbolizes the prosperity and growth of the Jewish community, which has existed in Taiwan for decades, said Caspi, who heads the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei.
US President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
A cold surge advisory was today issued for 18 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures of below 10°C forecast during the day and into tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. New Taipei City, Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties are expected to experience sustained temperatures of 10°C or lower, the CWA said. Temperatures are likely to temporarily drop below 10°C in most other areas, except Taitung, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, CWA data showed. The cold weather is being caused by a strong continental cold air mass, combined with radiative cooling, a process in which heat escapes from
Snow this morning fell on Alishan for the first time in seven years, as a strong continental cold air mass sent temperatures plunging across Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The Alishan weather station, located at an elevation of about 2,200m in central Taiwan, recorded snowfall from 8:55am to 9:15am, when the temperature dropped to about 1°C, the CWA said. With increased moisture and low temperatures in the high-altitude Alishan area, the conditions were favorable for snow, CWA forecaster Tsai Yi-chi (蔡伊其) said. The last time snow fell at the Alishan weather station was on Jan. 10, 2018, while graupel fell there
RSS