Haim Tebeka

Family · a life across worlds

Esther 郑弘 · אסתר תפארת

A story of curiosity, courage, faith, family and healing, still being written.

Visit Tiferes Healthcare (opens in a new tab) Watch Esther tell it

Esther reading, in a portrait from her professional life in China

Some lives follow a map. Esther’s kept redrawing it.

She grew up in China, trained in medicine and worked in television. After coming to America in 2000, a searching mind led her to Judaism: she converted in 2001 and embraced a life of Torah and mitzvos, then marriage, family and a return to healing.

In 2020 a family visit to Wuhan placed Esther and one of her children at the start of an event the world was only beginning to understand. Evacuation, quarantine, reunion and public scrutiny became another chapter, met with the same faith, humor and determination that run through her whole story.

Today she practices acupuncture and Eastern medicine at Tiferes Healthcare (Tiferes Acupuncture).

A name becomes a doorway. From the characters of her first name to the Hebrew letters of the name she chose, the journey holds both beginnings.

A life in chapters

  1. China · 1986–January 2000

    A public voice in Wuhan

    Known in China as 郑弘, she built a television career that moved from a host-contest win and entertainment programs to daily news, investigative reporting, show creation and production leadership.

  2. America · 2000

    Starting again

    She came to the United States in 2000: a new country, a new language around her, and a new chapter of questions and discovery.

  3. Jewish life · 2001

    A chosen path

    After years of study and searching, Esther converted to Judaism in 2001 and embraced a life of Torah and mitzvos. She tells that story, with warmth and candor, in her own public interviews.

  4. Home & healing

    Building forward

    Marriage, family and a return to medicine became part of one continuous life. Her work in acupuncture and Eastern medicine is one expression of that long arc.

  5. Wuhan · 2020

    When the private journey became public

    During a family visit to Wuhan in early 2020, Esther and one of her children were evacuated to the United States and completed a 14-day federal quarantine. Their release and the family’s reunion were covered by local, national and international media, as were the fear, the gratitude, the faith and the stigma that followed. See the coverage.

Photographs

From the family’s own archive. Swipe or scroll.

Esther beside the water, before America
Life in ChinaEsther beside the water, before America
A world already in motion
Life in ChinaA world already in motion
Esther in a large outdoor performance
Professional life in ChinaEsther in a large outdoor performance
Esther and Haim on their wedding day
Our weddingEsther and Haim on their wedding day
Esther speaking about acupuncture and Eastern medicine
Her healing workEsther speaking about acupuncture and Eastern medicine

Wuhan · 2020

Evacuation, quarantine and reunion

Esther spoke openly with reporters during and after the quarantine: about the anxious days in Wuhan, life on the base, the family’s reunion and the stigma that followed. The coverage is gathered here and linked to each source.

Featured in coverage by

  • ABC7 News
  • NBC Bay Area
  • CBS News
  • FOX News
  • KTVU FOX 2
  • KRON4
  • Associated Press
  • ABC World News Tonight
  • The Washington Post
  • Reuters
  • South China Morning Post
  • Chabad.org

Television and video

Newspapers and wire reports

Jewish community coverage

Out of respect for the family’s privacy, no photographs from this period are shown here; the reports are linked rather than reproduced.

China · the television years

A career remembered in names, programs and surviving records

In China, Esther was known as 郑弘, the name she carried through her years as a host, journalist, creator and producer.

In her own voice

Begin here

Long-form conversations and profiles are the clearest public doorway into Esther’s story. Each source is responsible for its own reporting and wording.

Tiferes Healthcare

Esther’s practice offers acupuncture and Eastern medicine. Appointments, hours and contact details are on the practice’s own site.

Go to tiferesmedical.com (opens in a new tab)

Selected public record

Station histories, program records and community coverage, each linked to its source.

China television: stations, programs and archives

Community

The practice

External articles and videos remain the property of their publishers and creators. Coverage does not imply endorsement. Thumbnails are small previews that link to each source.