After Adolf Hitler seized power in 1933, Nazi Germany used the state apparatus to persecute Jews. In the 1930s, most countries restricted entry for Jews who were trying to flee from the Holocaust. For many of those desperate refugees, Shanghai was the only hope and the last resort. From 1933-1941, this Chinese metropolis accepted more than 20,000 Jews with no visa required. The people in Shanghai opened their arms and offered a safe haven to their Jewish friends, especially after the establishment of the Designated Area by the Japanese authorities in Shanghai. The Jewish refugees were welcomed by Shanghai residents and they created a strong community with schools, businesses and a vibrant social scene. Together, the residents and the refugees tided over the dark years, displaying an act of friendship and humanitarianism. BBC calls this event “one of the most extraordinary stories in Shanghai’s history” and the area where the Jews settled during WWII “a modern-day Noah’s Ark”.
In November 2007, the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum came into existence to memorialize this historical event. Since its inception, the Museum has been dedicated itself to the preservation of the history of Jews taking refuge in Shanghai. It has received more than 800,000 visitors from over 100 countries in the past decade. It has also held exhibitions in Germany, Israel, the United States, and many other countries. The Museum began its expansion project in 2018, which was completed in October 2020. It is an institution to promote the shared aspiration for a world people want with lasting peace, common security, inclusiveness, tolerance, and common prosperity.
The Renwen Society presents a lecture on the subject by Mr. Chen Jian, President of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum on June 12, 2021. The speaker will share with the audience stories of the Jews in Shanghai in WWII with an introduction to his museum.
Free, but advanced registration is requested.
二战时期，因纳粹迫害，生活在德国和德占区下的犹太人走投无路，而此刻远在东方的上海因特殊环境呈现门洞大开的状况。据不完全统计，从1933年到1941年，上海接纳约2万名欧洲犹太难民避难。自身正遭受战争蹂躏的上海敞开怀抱，对犹太难民施以援手，两个民族的人民同舟共济、相濡以沫，尤其是在日本占领当局在虹口设立无国籍难民限定居住区后，被迫迁入的犹太难民与生活在这里的上海人民守望相助，共同维护人类的生命和尊严，迎来了战争的结束和和平的到来。这充分诠释了人类命运共同体的理念，具有重要的现实意义。
上海犹太难民纪念馆地处虹口区长阳路与舟山路交汇处，建立于2007年，以当年在沪犹太人活动中心的摩西会堂旧址为核心。2017年，纪念馆启动扩建项目，建筑面积扩大为原来的4倍，包括摩西会堂旧址及其西侧、南侧原居民楼，保留了其原有建筑风貌。展馆本身也是中国境内现存的、唯一一处反映二战时期犹太难民在中国生活的历史遗址。
展览由“逃亡上海、避难生活、同舟共济、战后离别、特殊情谊、共享未来”六个部分组成。逃亡上海板块主要介绍了犹太人来沪避难的原因、方法、路线；避难生活版块主要介绍了犹太难民在上海艰难谋生以及开展的各种文体活动；同舟共济版块主要介绍了犹太难民在日本当局建立的限定居住区内的艰苦生活，与中国邻居之间建立的患难真情；战后离别版块主要介绍了二战结束后在沪犹太难民离沪与散居在世界各地的幸存重聚；特殊情谊版块既介绍了为新中国建立和发展作出贡献的犹太人，也讲述了昔日犹太难民及其后裔重返中国寻根的故事。共享未来版块主要介绍了上海市政府和人民对相关历史开展的挖掘、保护和传播工作。
纪念馆自建馆起积累的史料和研究成果运用在扩建布展中，通过场景还原、互动多媒体等最新的展陈技术，生动地再现20世纪三四十年代欧洲犹太人避难上海的历史。纪念馆今后将继续面向中外游客讲述上海人民无私接纳犹太难民这一独特的中国故事，全方位承载这一特殊的世界性历史记忆。
华美人文学会6月12日晚8时至9时半（北京时间6月13日上午8时至9时半）特邀上海犹太难民纪念馆馆长陈俭先生做《海上方舟——犹太难民在上海的故事》专题讲座，介绍二战中这段难忘的历史和上海犹太难民纪念馆。
主讲人陈俭，工学博士。曾任上海科技情报研究所编辑，上海市人民政府外事办公室主任科员，上海市虹口区政府外事办公室主任，上海长远文化（集团）董事长、总经理，现任上海市虹口区政协常委、文化文史和学习委员会主任，上海犹太难民纪念馆馆长。