Cormac Uriah Lee is an anomoly. Born and raised in China, the 24-year-old claims to be one of China’s last remaining Bukharian Jews.
Growing up in a predominantly homogenous Han Chinese environment, he always felt a sense of difference—and was even singled out by classmates for having a “big nose.” His family observed Jewish traditions like salting meat and lighting Shabbat candles, though they didn’t fully grasp their significance.
I spoke with Lee following his recent visit to the Bukharian Jewish community in Queens. Our conversation delved into his unique journey, including the challenges he faced during his conversion to Judaism and his experiences growing up with Bukharian Jewish roots in China. Despite language and cultural barriers, Lee feels a profound connection to the community and its history, with the visit deepening his bond with his roots and highlighting the importance of preserving Jewish heritage.
Read our conversation, which took place during Cormac’s road trip through Charleston, S.C.—his final cross-country journey before relocating to Israel.
Erin Levi: So, you’re moving to Israel! Have you been before?
Cormac Uriah Lee: Yes, I have. I actually lived in Jerusalem for seven months in 2022 while interning at the Knesset. The government collapsed during that time, and I had to come back.
EL: What a fascinating time to be there. Can you tell me a bit about your background? I understand you were born in China?
CUL: Yes, I was born and raised in Guangzhou until 2019, when I was 19.
EL: Where exactly?
CUL: Guangzhou is a coastal city north of Hong Kong, but my family’s history is tied to Western China. According to our oral history, we arrived in Kashgar from Central Asia about 250 to 300 years ago, and then moved to Qapqal, Bortala, which used to be part of the Ili Governate. My Bukharian ancestors married into the Sibe tribe, a Tungusic-speaking ethnic group in Xinjiang (it’s a whole story unto its own). After my family married in, a descendant married into the Qing Dynasty ruled by the Manchurians.
In the 1980s, northwestern China was very impoverished and politically unstable so people, including my own mother, migrated to bigger cities in coastal/capital regions of China like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. That’s how we ended up there.
EL: What a story! Were you raised with any specific cultural or religious traditions?
CUL: Yes, although we didn’t know any other Jewish families outside of our own. I never came into contact with Jews, secular or religious, until I arrived in the US in 2019. When I was little, I was always told that we were different from our neighbors and friends.
EL: How else did this cultural difference manifest in your daily life?
CUL: The cultural differences were significant. For instance, the food we cooked at home was different from the Han Chinese majority. My family, for example, cooked dishes like Baksh, which were unusual in the major Han Chinese territories. Also, despite looking Chinese to Westerners, in China, I was never recognized as Chinese and was even called “the big nose” when I was younger.
EL: Ha! Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. It’s surprising that the stereotype knows no bounds. Did your family practice any Jewish customs?
CUL: We kept some traditions, though we didn’t always understand their origins. For example, we lit candles on Shabbat, but we weren’t observant in a formal sense. My grandmother lit the candles, and though my mother was a single parent working around the clock, we still maintained some traditions like washing hands in the morning, even if we didn’t know the prayers. We also salted meat before cooking it, which was a tradition passed down from my grandmother, but we didn’t know why we did it until I learned about kosher practices later in Israel.
EL: That must have been quite an enlightening experience. Was your grandmother Jewish? How about your grandfather?
CUL: According to our family history and self-identity, yes, my grandmother was Jewish. My grandfather, on the other hand, looked very Central Asian. Halachically, we can’t be certain, but we hold onto our family’s traditions and identity. My family has always maintained a connection to our Jewish roots, even though, historically, many of our records might be lost [due to the Cultural Revolution] or mythologized.
EL: Did Kashgar have a synagogue, and if so, what happened to it?
CUL: Yes, there was a synagogue in Kashgar. According to family history and what I’ve learned recently, after we migrated from Kashgar, we kept some connection with Central Asia through trade routes. Kashgar was the only major trading depot in the region and the last remnant of memories with a Jewish community that my family could recall. However, due to events like the Little Ice Age (this ended in the1850s) and social upheaval, our connections weakened, and by the early 20th century, we lost touch with the wider Jewish world.
EL: Growing up in China, what did you know about Jewish people and Israel?
CUL: My mother raised me to be a proud Jew and Zionist. We were aware of major historical events like the Holocaust and the establishment of Israel. My family has always been patriotic to China but also emphasized our roots and connection to Israel. We served in the military almost every generation through the imperial period to the revolutionary period. The sad part is we fought on all sides against each other during the civil wars. My mother taught me that while we could be proud of our Chinese identity, we should not forget our Jewish heritage. We chose not to assimilate because the non-Jews will remind us that we are Jewish in the most sobering way.
EL: How did you end up in the US?
CUL: It was a series of so-called coincidences, which I believe were guided by Hashem. A college in Washington State offered me a full scholarship, and before I knew it, I packed up and moved to the States five years ago.
EL: Are you finished with college now?
CUL: Yes, I graduated a year ago. I spent three and a half years in Walla Walla, Washington, majoring in Politics and German Studies, with a stint in Jerusalem. .
EL: That’s quite a diverse background! I studied at Georgetown University and later pursued a master’s in Middle Eastern and Central Asian Security Studies at St Andrews. I also recently received German citizenship, though I don’t speak German.
CUL: That’s quite a journey! Ironically, among the students I knew in the German Studies department who were Jewish and received German or Austrian citizenship, I was the only one who actually spoke German.
EL: Thankfully I’m not alone. It’s interesting how our paths converge in unexpected ways.
So, tell me more about your conversion process. Was it easy?
CUL: [No.] We had a lot of books and family records, but those were mostly destroyed or lost during the Cultural Revolution in China in the 1960s. The Ashkenazi Haredi community said they wanted to recognize me but didn’t know how to help, while the Sephardi community was more stringent on me having to go through conversion.
EL: How did you proceed from there?
CUL: I decided if I wanted to become religious, I needed to study. So I chose the Sephardi path, despite the challenges along the way. I eventually met a rabbi in Seattle [Rabbi Benjamin Hassan] through a rabbinical connection in Jerusalem. He told me to find my way to Seattle. So, I moved there on the day of my graduation and started working as the office manager for a Turkish synagogue there. Later, I worked as a policy associate for public safety and transportation in Seattle.
EL: How long did the conversion process take?
CUL: For Seattle standards, it was quite fast. Some people take up to 12 years to convert, but because I attended yeshiva and pushed myself hard, it took me exactly one year. I went to the mikvah on Yom Yerushalayim [this year it fell on June 5].
EL: Mazel tov! How did your mother react to your conversion? Was she there with you?
CUL: My mother still lives in China. I managed to buy her tickets to visit in October, right after October 7th. She saw firsthand how the Jewish community coped with the tragedy and rose from it. I’m incredibly grateful that she is 100% supportive of my decision to convert and move to Israel. On the day of my conversion, she said it was the proudest day of her life.
EL: That’s so moving. Tell me about your recent visit to Rego Park and Forest Hills. How did it come about?
CUL: I had wanted to visit the Bukharian community in New York for years because of my Bukharian lineage, but I didn’t feel entitled to claim the title of Bukharian Jew myself. We just had family memories, and we didn’t know any traditions or people in the community. When I moved to Seattle, I made friends with a Bukharian Jew who had moved from Rego Park. Ahead of a recent Shabbat, my host in Teaneck, NJ canceled last minute, so I reached out to my friend’s family, who welcomed me.
EL: Who were you with?
CUL: I stayed with my friend’s family – they’re related to Rafael Nektalov.
EL: Everyone is related to Rafael! So, what was your experience like?
CUL: Arriving in Rego Park on Erev Shabbat, I felt a strange familiarity. Although I had never been to Queens before and didn’t speak Russian, the atmosphere felt oddly familiar, like forgotten childhood memories. Walking the streets and seeing the community was overwhelming. When Rafael took me to the Bukharian Jewish Museum on Shabbat (the door was left open for me), I was astonished by the warm hospitality and the exhibits. The artifacts and displays, like the old bread ovens and wooden carts, reminded me of Kashgar and my grandparents’ home. It was like a time capsule of my early memories.
EL: Did you manage to keep any of your grandparents’ items or photos?
CUL: The photos are still in my grandparents’ old home in China. My grandmother has passed away, and my grandfather is in poor health. The photos were already in poor condition when I last saw them, so finding them now would be difficult.
EL: I’m sorry to hear that. May her memory be a blessing.
So, why did you choose to convert, especially with the rise in antisemitism post-October 7th?
CUL: I grew up believing I was Jewish. Even in China, during events like the Squirrel Hill shooting, I felt that hiding our identity was not a solution. I began openly wearing a kippah and speaking about Jewish identity in my online platform in China. The rise in antisemitism only reinforced my decision to convert. It’s about bearing the suffering of Am Israel and contributing to the Jewish community. I feel a sense of duty and responsibility to be involved and serve the Jewish people.
EL: Do you envision yourself moving to Israel for the rest of your life?
CUL: After the pandemic, I’ve become less focused on long-term goals because things can change unexpectedly. I hope to live in Israel and serve the Jewish community, but my skills and understanding of Chinese and American systems may allow me to contribute to Israel and the diaspora in various ways.
EL: Are you surprised by how China has become pro-Hamas?
CUL: Not at all. Even when I was in high school, I warned that China’s subtle philo-Semitism would shift once nationalism took hold. China’s current stance aligns with that shift.
EL: Is there anything else you’d like to add about the community or the museum?
CUL: The Bukharian Jewish community in Rego Park and Forest Hills is incredible. It embodies the rich history of Bukharian Jews from Central Asia and has a unique strength and character. The community should be more widely known. The Bukharian Jewish Museum is an important part of telling the Jewish and Israeli story, offering valuable context often overlooked by mainstream academia. I hope to return and learn more in the future.
Erin Levi