On May 10, 2023, Professor Xu Xin from the Institute of Jewish and Israeli Studies in our department was invited to Shanghai to participate in the 75th National Day held by the Consulate General of Israel in Shanghai. At the conference, Professor Xu Xin was awarded the Distinguished Contribution Award by the Israeli side for his outstanding achievements and influence in the field of Chinese Judaism and international exchanges between China and Israel. The inscription on the trophy reads, "Dedicated to Jewish cultural studies and Sino-Israeli educational exchanges".

Professor Xu Xin's commitment to the study of Chinese Jewish culture and international cultural exchanges between China and Israel dates back to the 1980s, when he went to the United States to teach as a visiting professor in the English Department at Chicago State University. During his tenure, he lived in the United States with a Jewish family. In the summer of 1988, before returning to China, Professor Xu Xin visited Israel, a country with which China had not yet established diplomatic relations, and became one of the first Chinese professors to visit Israel. He became the first Chinese scholar to visit Israel and deliver a public lecture in Israel. What he saw and heard on this trip ultimately strengthened Professor Xu's resolve to engage in Jewish studies and promote Jewish culture upon his return to China, and laid the groundwork for the establishment of strong academic ties with the Israeli academy thereafter.

With Professor Xu's positive influence and support, the Center for Jewish Cultural Studies at Nanjing University was established in 1992 after the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Israel, and is now the Institute for Jewish and Israeli Studies in the Department of Philosophy. This was the first Jewish cultural research center officially established in the Chinese university system, and the first institution in China to conduct systematic research on Jewish culture and to achieve positive results and make a significant impact.

At the conference, the Consulate General of Israel in Shanghai recognized Professor Xu Xin's work in Jewish studies and his contribution to the development of the field of Jewish studies in China as a whole and to Sino-Israeli cultural exchange, and awarded him the Outstanding Contribution Award. Also honored at the conference were Dr. Xiao Bo of the Shanghai Children's Medical Center (promoting Sino-Israeli medical technology exchange), Director Chen Jian of the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial Museum (dedicated to the preservation of Shanghai's Jewish history), Director Jin Xing of the Jin Xing Dance Company (promoting Sino-Israeli artistic and cultural exchange), and President Lin Qiang of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange (promoting Sino-Israeli trade and cultural exchange). This is the first time since the establishment of the Israeli Consulate General in Shanghai that this honor has been bestowed on a Chinese person. The celebration was also attended by Shanghai Vice Mayor Hua Yuan, Israeli Consul General in Shanghai Ravit Baer, Deputy Consul General Eytan Halon, and diplomats from more than 30 countries in Shanghai.