DHHRM | An Unlikely Refuge: The Jews of Shanghai
| Calendar | Speaking Engagements |
|---|---|
| Location | Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum 300 N. Houston Street Dallas, TX 75202 |
| Date | Wed, Sep 4, 7:00pm - 8:00pm |
| Duration | 1h |
| Details | Between 1933 and 1945, many European Jews attempted to flee German- and Soviet-occupied areas to escape persecution and death. To their dismay, most countries closed their borders to Jewish refugees. One remaining free, open port was Shanghai, China whose International Settlements Quarter admitted about 17,000 emigrating Jews. Despite the Japanese occupation, and the unsanitary, dilapidated conditions of the crowded city, Shanghai served as an unexpected safe haven. Historian Dvir Bar-Gal joins us to share more about the arrival of Jewish refugees in the Hongkew District of Shanghai, their relationship with their Chinese and Japanese neighbors, and how the community of refugees adapted to life in China. About the Speaker Dvir Bar-Gal is an expert on Shanghai’s Jewish history. For twenty years, he led in-depth Jewish heritage tours throughout the city and searched for lost cemeteries. His work has culminated in multiple publications of photography collections, interviews, and guest speaking opportunities at various universities and organizations. Bar-Gal holds a degree in film studies and mass communications from Tel Aviv University. About Hidden History: Recounting the Shanghai Jewish Story Explore the little-known history of the diverse, resettled Jewish community in Shanghai, including Iraqi Jews who arrived in the mid-1800s, Russian Jews who fled pogroms at the turn of the century, and German and Austrian Jews who desperately escaped the Nazis. With most countries limiting or denying entry to Jews during the 1930s, the free port of Shanghai became an unexpected safe haven for Jews attempting to flee the antisemitic policies and identity-based violence in Nazi-controlled Europe. Hidden History explores this multifaceted history of desperation, loss, and asylum through artifacts, survivor stories, and the photographic lens of prominent American photojournalist Arthur Rothstein, who documented the Shanghai Jewish community in 1946 for the United Nations. To register, click here. |
| Repeats? | No |
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