Jews in Shanghai

Author: Pan Guang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Our album documenting the lives of Jews in Shanghai was published on the 50th anniversary of the victory in World War II, holding special significance. Half a century ago, when the Nazis were frenziedly persecuting and slaughtering Jews, many righteous individuals stood up to rescue Jewish refugees. Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews by issuing diplomatic passports; Japanese consul in Lithuania Chiune Sugihara, defying superior orders, issued transit visas to nearly 2,000 Polish Jewish refugees, enabling them to escape Nazi persecution; and the film "Schindler's List," depicting German industrialist Oskar Schindler protecting Jews, has become widely known. However, some countries and regions at the time closed their doors to Jewish refugees in urgent need of help. Their refusal to accept every Jewish person struggling on the brink of death was equivalent to killing a life. Looking back at that period of history, we can proudly say that Shanghai made the right choice in this battle between good and evil. When the entire "civilized world" turned its back on the Jews, Shanghai opened its doors to Jewish refugees, doing everything possible to rescue them. This album, as evidence of Sino-Jewish friendship, uses real and vivid images to tell readers this unforgettable story, as well as the memorable history of the Jews in Shanghai.
After the mid-19th century, Shanghai became a settlement for a large number of Jews. The first to arrive were the Sephardic Jews, followed by Russian Jews, and later a large number of Jewish refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe. By the early 1940s of this century, the total number of Jews in Shanghai exceeded 30,000, forming the largest Jewish community in East Asia. They had their own religious associations, synagogues, schools, hospitals, clubs, cemeteries, chambers of commerce, publishing institutions, and political groups.
Soon after the Sephardic Jews arrived in Shanghai, the economic hub of East Asia known as the "paradise of adventurers," they demonstrated their business acumen. Families like Sassoon, Hardoon, and Kadoorie grew particularly rapidly, accumulating substantial economic power and maintaining close ties with the international business community and financial centers in London and New York. They actively supported the political and cultural activities of the Shanghai Jewish community and provided great help to Jewish refugees who sought refuge in Shanghai.
In the early 20th century, Russian Jews arrived in Shanghai via Siberia and Harbin. Initially penniless, they started small businesses, but through their own efforts, they gradually rose to the middle class. Due to their large numbers, they formed an active and vibrant community force. Many outstanding talents among the Jews who came to Shanghai contributed to the creativity and diversity of the Jewish community, enabling them to organize active and vibrant educational, recreational, and sports activities. The famous Mir Yeshiva① miraculously escaped the Nazi Holocaust, with over 400 students and teachers continuing their studies in Shanghai throughout the war.
Shanghai Jews achieved outstanding success in establishing newspapers and periodicals. From 1903 to 1949, more than 50 Jewish publications were published in Shanghai in English, German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Hebrew, and Yiddish. It is worth mentioning that the mutual respect, sympathy, and support between the Shanghai Jews and the Chinese people. Throughout history, both the Chinese nation and the Jewish nation have made significant contributions to world civilization. Like the Jews, the Chinese people have also suffered profound disasters. Over 35 million Chinese people lost their lives or were injured in the fight against Japanese fascism. Shared experiences have instilled deep respect and sympathy in the Chinese people for the Jewish people.
President Sun Yat-sen once wrote in a letter to the leaders of the Shanghai Jewish community: "All lovers of democracy support the revival of your great and historically renowned nation, which has made such significant contributions to world civilization and should hold a glorious position in the international community." When Hitler first launched the anti-Jewish movement, Madame Sun Yat-sen led a group of Chinese patriotic democratic figures to the German embassy to express strong protest. Similarly, the Shanghai Jews gave selfless support to China's national democratic movement and the War of Resistance Against Japan. Maurice Cohen, who lived in Shanghai for a long time, served as bodyguard to Sun Yat-sen and was a loyal friend of the Chinese people, known as the "Double-Barreled Cohen." Hans Hiebert, a writer and journalist who came from Germany to Shanghai, was a Jewish volunteer who sacrificed his life on Chinese soil during the War of Resistance Against Japan.
We must also pay deep respect to Dr. Otto Rosenfeld. As a Jewish refugee, he arrived in Shanghai from Austria in 1939 and left Shanghai in 1941 to join the War of Resistance Against Japan. He worked diligently for 10 years in the army led by the Communist Party of China, becoming the highest-ranking foreign military doctor. The Chinese people will never forget their contributions to the cause of the Chinese People's Liberation.
Half a century has passed. The "Shanghai Jews" and their descendants now live all over the world but still regard Shanghai as their "hometown." Their energy, creativity, and influence have far exceeded their numbers and have become an important force in promoting the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Jewish peoples. May this album help readers at home and abroad better understand the unique role Shanghai played in the history of the Jewish diaspora, especially in saving the victims of the Nazi Holocaust. May the "Shanghai Jews," who spent unforgettable years in this Eastern metropolis, and the people of Shanghai, through this album, build deeper friendships.