Between 1938 and 1941, Shanghai became the Savior of 20,000 Jews fleeing Nazi Europe. Their memory lives today through a thousand control objects.
Aerial view of the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum
In the Shanghai Jewish refugee museum, a beautiful handbag still awaits its owner in a window. The bag belonged to a Jewish couple. Seeking refuge in Shanghai during the Second World War, they had pledged with Jin Wenzhen’s grandfather to cover their child’s medical expenses. Mr. Jin had then lent to the couple the equivalent in cash of the income of a month of his rice shop, but never saw them later.
Mr. Jin was concerned about the fate of this Jewish family. He put the handbag back to his granddaughter telling him that it was a family inheritance which was to be well preserved. The age coming, she has more and more felt the desire to find the owner of the bag. She entrusted him to the Jewish refugee museum in Shanghai, hoping that he could be exposed to it and that, in one way or another, it would be possible to find descendants of the Jewish owner. Research is still continuing today.
The museum, which covers more than 4,000 m2, is home to nearly a thousand pieces telling more than 160 personal stories. He traces the life of Jewish refugees and their interactions with the inhabitants of Shanghai during the Second World War.
Inaugurated in 2007 on the old site of the Synagogue in Moses, the museum is the only memorial in China to reflect the life of Jewish refugees during the Second World War. This synagogue, built in 1927, was at the time the main place where Jewish refugees found themselves. It is also one of the two still existing synagogues in Shanghai.
In the museum’s courtyard, the name wall of the Jewish refugees in Shanghai is engraved by 18,578 names. Over the years, he has attracted many former Jewish refugees and their descendants, who came to seek the names of their family and friends.
Wall sculpture of the names of Jewish refugees
Shanghai Jewish refugees
In the 1930s and 1940s, a large number of Jews were forced to flee Europe due to Nazi persecution. With the help of He Fengshan, then Consul General of China in Vienna, as well as diplomats from other countries, Shanghai became a safe refuge for some 20,000 European Jewish refugees between 1938 and 1941, who established a deep friendship with Chinese inhabitants thanks to mutual aid.
After the end of the Second World War in August 1945, the Shanghai Jews began to seek their loved ones. After having read the tragic experiences of those who were in the concentration camps in Europe, they were very grateful to Shanghai, who had protected them from Nazi atrocities. Subsequently, many emigrated to the United States, Israel, Canada and Australia.
Although the Jewish refugees left Shanghai, they remained grateful to the city that had saved them, and continued to consider Shanghai as their “second homeland”. Their descendants continue to return to Shanghai to search for their roots and remain in contact with the museum.
A place of memory
Since its creation, the museum has welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors from 137 countries and regions, including around 30 % from abroad. He has also received many international politicians and celebrities, as well as many former Jewish refugees and their descendants.
Ariel Cukierman, president of the German group Suprema and descendant of Jewish refugees, visited the museum on December 21, 2024. During her youth, his mother, Bela Wolff, often told her her experiences in Shanghai. He therefore felt very close to the many stories, photos and objects on display in the museum. After his visit, Mr. Cukierman also showed a documentary on his mother’s 80th anniversary. In the video, Ms. Wolff tells her story when she was a young girl. She explains that her life as a refugee in Shanghai had not been difficult and that she remains for her a memorable experience. Mr. Cukierman believes that his mother’s experience in Shanghai has always given him a particular feeling and a deep understanding of China. He has also established partnerships with Chinese companies, notably Oriental International Holding (IOH). As a sign of good will, he has since donated the passport of his mother dating from his years of refugee to the museum, through OHH.
Lilli Fliess, a former Jewish refugee in Shanghai, returned to the Hongkou district and returned her memories with her three children on November 5, 2024. Mrs. Fliess had arrived in Shanghai with her parents to take refuge in 1939, when she was only 10 years old. In 1948, she left Shanghai to settle in Israel.
In 2001, she returned there and 20 years later, she visited the museum for the first time. She returned to her former home in Hongkou and told her experience to the museum staff. She also traveled the exhibition and wanted the names of her family and friends on the wall of memory. At the end of her last visit, she expressed her gratitude to Shanghai, saying that she was very lucky to be there at that time, that the city had saved the life of the refugees and that she will never forget her home in Shanghai. She also left a message in Hebrew, German and English in the Golden Book.
“I have seen many former Jewish refugees over 90 years old coming to Hongkou in search of their old home, and I also received the documents relating to their refuge in Shanghai that they have kept for decades. I realize that Shanghai is the root and the soul that they can never forget in their hearts, ”explains Chen Jian, director of the Shanghai Jewish refugee museum. “Preserving history is the wish and long -dear aspiration of the Jewish people. It is an indelible memory of the Jewish nation, but also a historical period that Shanghai cannot forget. For the inhabitants of this big city, it is our responsibility to record, protect and transmit this story. »»
Lilli Fliess (2nd g.), A former Jewish refugee in Shanghai, her three children and Chen Jian (1st d.), Director of the Shanghai Jewish refugee museum, pose in the museum, November 5, 2024. (Photos provided by the Jewish refugee museum in Shanghai)
Towards more cultural exchanges
Thanks to its collections, the museum presents a thematic exhibition on Jewish refugees and Shanghai. Since 2011, this exhibition has traveled in more than ten countries, including the United States, Germany, Israel, Australia and Brazil, and has collaborated with cultural centers and local museums. There is also a communication platform between China and the official and private sectors of the countries visited, allowing people from different cultures to discover a common history and to strengthen understanding and mutual respect.
During the opening ceremony of the exhibition at the Capitol in 2014, Tiankai, then China Ambassador to the United States, said that the event would have a deep impact on Sino-American relations. Six members of the American House of Representatives as well as the Jewish Affairs Advisor to President Obama also made speeches. More than 200 Capitol staff have attended the ceremony. An updated exhibition, entitled “Shanghai, homeland of the past”, was presented at the Fosun Plaza in New York in August 2023, attracting attention and positive coverage of more than 700 international media, including the New York Times.
The 34th annual conference of the World Federation of Holocaust survivors and their descendants was held in Markham, Canada, in September 2024. After the meeting, many participants spoke of the experiences of their relatives or friends who sought refuge in Shanghai and expressed their desire to help contact the people concerned. Thanks to this event, the museum staff was able to get in touch with eleven people and interview them on the life of Jewish refugees in Shanghai.
In addition to exhibitions abroad, the museum also organized a series of thematic events in Shanghai, such as urban walks, study visits and musical salons, helping the public, in particular adolescents, to understand the history of Shanghai in the reception of exiles, to discover the particular friendship between the two communities in time of difficulties and to highlight the unique charm of Shanghai as a crossroads Multicultural.
“Jerry Moses, a former Jewish refugee,” said that kindness, understanding and tolerance make China’s greatness, that war, greed and hatred can never tarnish. This story (Jewish refugees) shows that even in the darkest moments, the benevolence of humanity can still shine. Preserving this spiritual heritage is not only a respect for history, but also a way of sowing the seeds of future convictions, ”notes Mr. Chen.
