Inside the (Acid-Free) Box: Shanghai Jewish Life During the Holocaust

Virtual

Inside the Acid Free Box: Shanghai Jewish Life During the Holocaust

Jewish communities have existed in China for centuries, dating back to the silk road. However, the first Jewish arrivals to call Shanghai home arrived in the early 1880s from Baghdad by way of Bombay. These early Iraqi Jewish families were part of the development that established Shanghai as the "Paris of the East." The 20th century saw waves of Jewish refugees seeking to escape anti-Jewish violence and persecution in Russia, like the families of Michael and Dora Medavoy, who escaped modern day Ukraine and Russia for China. Nazi antisemitic policies and brutal violence in the 1930s saw a flood of German, Austrian and Polish refugees seeking an escape. As an international port city, Shanghai required no entry visa, and quickly became one of the only options for these desperate Jewish refugees. John Friedmann and his mother, Rudolphina, were able to escape to Shanghai from Austria, after John miraculously escaped a Nazi concentration camp.

Join our Vice President of Education & Exhibits, Jordanna Gessler, and our Chief Curator of Collections, Christie Jovanovic, as they take a look at the incredible collections of these two families, exploring this multifaceted history of desperation, loss and asylum.

Access to this virtual program is complimentary for Museum members. Please contact membership@hmla.org, to receive your code for checkout.