Chen Jian: Why is the Jewish refugee in Shanghai the common memory of mankind?

Shanghai, 4 April (ZXS) -- Why is the Jewish refugee presence in Shanghai the common memory of mankind?

——Interview with Chen Jian, director of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Memorial Museum

China News Agency reporter Xu Jing

More than 80 years ago, Shanghai hosted about 2,<> European Jewish refugees. During this period, the people of Shanghai and the Jewish refugees helped each other in hardship, worked together through thick and thin, and jointly ushered in the victory of the world anti-fascist war. The area of Tilanqiao, Hongkou, where the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Memorial Museum is located, is where a large number of Jewish refugees lived.

How did the city of Shanghai connect with the world in the process of participating in the cause of Jewish refugee relief? What is the significance of this history for the international community's understanding of China today? The "East-West Question" of the China News Agency recently interviewed Chen Jian, director of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Memorial Museum.

The exterior of the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial in February 2015. Photo by Zhou Dongchao

The following is a summary of the interview:

China News Agency: What are the biggest features and highlights of the exhibition "After the Holocaust: Displaced People and Camps for Displaced Persons" co-hosted by the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Memorial and the United Nations?

Jian Chen: In June 2022, staff from the United Nations Department of Global Communications contacted the memorial about the Holocaust and the UN Outreach Programme, hoping to bring the existing UN exhibit "After the end of the world: Displaced Persons and Displaced Persons Camps" to the memorial. Last year, the exhibition was exhibited at the United Nations Headquarters, the Vienna International Center in Austria, and the University of Stockton.

With the consent of the United Nations, the exhibition was renamed After the Holocaust: Displaced Persons and Camps for Displaced Persons, which opened on January 1 this year. This is also the first time that the exhibition has been exhibited in China, and it is the first time that the museum has successfully cooperated with the United Nations system to hold an event.

Unveiling of the exhibition After the Holocaust: Displaced Persons and Camps for Displaced Persons. Photo courtesy of the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial

The exhibition tells how UNRWA rescued Holocaust and World War II survivors, piecing together fragments of history to restore this shared memory of all mankind. Formally, we used installation art to create this exhibition on the Memorial Square.

China News Agency: According to the third quarter report of the Far East Office of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in 1946, nearly 87 percent of European refugees were Jewish refugees. Among them, Shanghai Jewish refugees are included in the "European Refugee Project" of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.

Chen Jian: UNRPA's biggest project is to rebuild infrastructure in China, provide famine relief, and provide food, clothing, hospitals and medical resources in camps for displaced people. The China office was established in Shanghai in late 1944 and closed on December 1947, 12. In January 31, the National Government established the Executive Yuan General Administration for Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation (CNRRA), which was responsible for the operation, management and coordination of the United Nations General Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in China. In 1945, the Communist Party of China established the China Relief Association for Liberated Areas (CLARA), which was responsible for the distribution of materials from the United Nations Relief Administration in the Liberated Areas.

According to statistics from the United Nations General Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in September 1946, the total number of European refugees in China was 9,1, of which 45,1 were in Shanghai, accounting for more than 41% of the country. According to the 97 Third Quarter Report of the Far East Office of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, nearly 1946% of European refugees were Jewish.

People visit the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial. Photo by Pan Sophie

Shanghai scholars Wang Jian and Han Yi studied the data of the United Nations archives and found that in early 1946, the "European Refugee Project" of the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration was officially assigned to the Shanghai office, and the following division of labor was made: the China Department of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration was responsible for the policy, plan formulation and project coordination and promotion of the "European Refugee Project"; The Shanghai office is responsible for implementation and operations; The Refugee Department of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration is responsible for the global coordination of refugee issues.

In terms of external cooperation, UNRWA initiated the formation of an informal joint meeting to discuss the issue of Jewish refugees in Shanghai. Since the beginning of 1946, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration has been responsible for providing supplies to European refugees in Shanghai and assisting in the repatriation of European refugees in Shanghai.

People visit the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial. Photo by Pan Sophie

China News Agency: How did the memorial introduce Shanghai's rescue of Jewish refugees? What are the features?

Chen Jian: The Shanghai Jewish Refugees Memorial Hall was established in 2007 with the Moses Synagogue (the center of Jewish refugees in Shanghai) as the core, and has been committed to preserving and disseminating the history of Jewish refugees in Shanghai. The pavilion itself is also the only surviving historical site in China that reflects the life of Jewish refugees in China during World War II. In October 2020, the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Memorial Hall was expanded and reopened, with a new exhibition that restores all aspects of the Jewish refugees' flight to Shanghai through nearly 10,170 historical materials and the personal stories of <> Jewish refugees who took refuge in Shanghai.

In December 2020, the expanded Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial reopened. Photo by Tang Yanjun

When the memorial introduces the rescue of Jewish refugees, it mainly reproduces history through various historical materials, paying special attention to the use of various memories of the parties concerned to objectively and truthfully restore the relief of Jewish refugees by the people of Shanghai at that time, relief organizations and philanthropists around the world.

Of course, due to the special period of war and turmoil at that time, and the long time, many historical materials need to be further excavated. This exhibition by the United Nations enriched our understanding of the international relief situation at that time and was of great significance for carrying out relevant historical research.

In addition to the exhibition, the memorial also carried out a series of other explorations, such as supporting the creation of novels, documentary filming and theatrical performances, so that more audiences have the opportunity to learn about this history through various channels. We hope to restore history where historical events occurred, so as to warn the present and the future, and work hard to safeguard world peace.

The Shanghai Jewish Refugees Memorial recreates the life of Jewish refugees in Shanghai through photos and objects. Photo by Tang Yanjun

China News Agency: Why should the new generation have a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of this history?

Chen Jian: It is of great significance to popularize history for young people. In the thirties and forties of the 20th century, the Nazis frantically murdered Jews in Europe, and a large number of Jews fled. Some Jewish refugees were granted "life visas" to seek refuge in Shanghai, and some without visas were accepted by Shanghai. In 1943, the Japanese invading forces set up a "stateless refugee restricted living area" of less than 3 square kilometers in Hongkou, Shanghai, also known as the "quarantine area", and about 2,400 Jewish refugees were restricted from freedom. More than <> children of Jewish refugees were born in the "quarantine zone" who considered Shanghai their second home, and whom we affectionately called "Shanghai babies."

After China's reform and opening up, especially in the 21st century, many Jewish refugees and their descendants returned to Shanghai to "seek their roots". Born in Shanghai in October 1939, Sonia Millberg has become a professional in the study of this history, working to compile a list of Jewish refugees in Shanghai during World War II, which now numbers more than 10,18000 names. The list is engraved on the list wall at the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial, where names are still being added.

"Shanghai Jewish Refugee List Wall" at the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial. Photo by Tang Yanjun

In September 2021, the memorial received an email from Horst Esfeld, a first-hand witness in his nineties, describing his thoughts about Shanghai since the pandemic. He wrote: "Let more people know about this history and understand how hard it is to come by peace and happiness. ”

The Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial Museum is working with more and more institutions and schools to invite students to visit or send exhibitions and lectures to schools so that more children can learn about this history. We also offer a variety of activities in the memorial hall, such as city heritage searches, study camps and other activities to stimulate young people's interest in exploring this history.

On February 2015, 2, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Mike Blumenthal visited the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial to trace his childhood footsteps. At the age of 7, Mr. Blumenthal fled Germany with his parents and sought refuge in Shanghai. Photo by Tang Yanjun

China News Agency: What close historical ties do you think Shanghai has had with the world in the process of participating in the relief of Jewish refugees? What kind of common value pursuit of all mankind is embodied?

Chen Jian: During World War II, Shanghai welcomed Jewish refugees from Europe and other countries, and after the war, these Jewish refugees went to settle all over the world with the friendship of Chinese people, including North America, South America, Oceania, Europe and the Middle East. In the process of Chinese people's resistance to Japanese fascist aggression and national liberation and independence, there was also the help of Jewish refugees from Germany, Austria and other countries.

Exhibition at the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum. Photo by Xu Jing

Chinese Confucian culture emphasizes "putting harmony first" and emphasizes people from all walks of life. In the course of Shanghai's participation in the cause of relief for Jewish refugees, the Chinese nation, the Jewish nation and all peace-loving people in the world have established deep emotional ties. Since the founding of New China, especially after the reform and opening up, this connection has become an important force for promoting exchanges and cooperation between China and the world. (End)

Respondent Profile:

Chen Jian, director of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Memorial Museum

Chen Jian, Director of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Memorial Museum, Ph.D. in Engineering. He used to be the editor of the Shanghai Institute of Science and Technology Information, the chief clerk of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, the director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Hongkou District Government, the chairman and general manager of Shanghai Long-term Culture (Group), the current member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Hongkou District CPPCC, the director of the Culture and History Committee, and the director of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Memorial Hall.