For the first time in nearly seven years, five women from the ancient Chinese Jewish community of Kaifeng arrived in Israel to fulfill their dreams of making Aliyah or immigration.

The women – Gao Yichen (“Weiwei”), Yue Ting, Li Jing, Li Yuan, and Li Chengjin (“Lulu”) – have been studying Hebrew and Judaism intensively for several years in Kaifeng.

Upon arrival in Israel, they were taken straight from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport to the Western Wall in Jerusalem so they could thank God for helping them return to the land of their ancestors.

“Kaifeng’s Jewish descendants are a living link between China and the Jewish people,” said Michael Freund, Chairman of Shavei Israel, the organisation that brought the five women to Israel.

Shavei Israel aims at strengthening the ties between the Jewish people, the State of Israel and the descendants of Jews around the world.

“After centuries of assimilation, a growing number of the Kaifeng Jews in recent years have begun seeking to return to their roots and embrace their Jewish identity,” he said, adding that, “These five young women are determined to rejoin the Jewish people and become proud citizens of the Jewish state, and we are delighted to help them realize their dreams.”

One women, Li Jing, declared : “Being part of the Jewish people is an honor, because of the heritage and wisdom.”

On a brief previous visit to Israel she put a note of prayer in the Kotel asking to return and live in Israel. “Now, my prayer has been answered,” she said.

Since 2009, Shavei Israel has brought a total of 19 members of the Kaifeng Jewish community to Israel.

The five women plan to continue their Jewish studies at Jerusalem’s Midreshet Nishmat – The Jeanie Schottenstein Center For Advanced Torah Study For Women, with the support of Shavei Israel, which will also cover their living expenses and support them as they prepare to undergo formal conversion by Israel’s Chief Rabbinate.

Believed to have been founded by Iraqi or Persian Jewish merchants in the 8th or 9th century, Kaifeng's Jewish community built a large and beautiful synagogue in 1163, which was renovated throughout the years.

At its peak, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Kaifeng Jewish community may have numbered up to 5,000 people. But widespread intermarriage and assimilation, and the death of the community's last rabbi, brought about its demise by the early 19th century. Today the community claims between 500 to 1,000 members.

Despite the pressure to assimilate, many of the Kaifeng Jews sought to preserve their Jewish identity and pass it down to their descendants, who continue to observe Jewish customs. Today the community is experiencing a revived interest in its roots.