Jewish Life & Learning
The Extraordinary Jewish Legacy and Experience in Shanghai: An Evening With Dvir Bar Gal
Adults (18+)Date : Thursday, Apr 23
Time :
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Location : Edlavitch DCJCC
1529 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC
1529 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC
The Defiant Requiem Foundation and the Edlavitch DCJCC are pleased to invite you to a special presentation on the remarkable story of Jewish Shanghai.
The Defiant Requiem Foundation and the Edlavitch DCJCC are pleased to invite you to a special evening featuring Dvir Bar Gal, renowned expert on the remarkable story of Jewish Shanghai.
For 100 years, while Shanghai was being transformed from a modest port town into one of the world’s great cosmopolitan capitals, a little-known and extraordinary chapter of Jewish life was unfolding. Three distinct waves of Jewish immigration, from Iraq, Russia, and central Europe shaped the city’s culture and heritage. Baghdadi Jewish families became influential leaders in Shanghai’s commercial and civic life during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Russian immigrants left a long-lasting western culture in Shanghai’s classic-music, theater and western medicine. And during World War II, thousands of Jewish refugees found safe haven in Shanghai, one of the only places in the world that offered refuge without visas.
At its height, Shanghai’s Jewish population reached nearly 30,000. But under the rise of communism, the entire Jewish community of Shanghai vanished. What brought them to the “pearl of the orient?” Why did they all leave? And what remains today?
Join Dvir Bar-Gal for a compelling presentation as he uncovers the dramatic, inspiring, and eye-opening story of Jewish Shanghai – a story of refuge, resilience, and a remarkable legacy.
Attendance is free, but space is limited and registration is required. Please note that this event is being held IN PERSON and it will not be livestreamed or recorded. If you have any questions, please contact Alexandra Zapruder at azapruder@defiantrequiem.org.
This program is a partnership of The Defiant Requiem Foundation and the Edlavitch DCJCC, and it is supported by generous donations from Tina and Albert Small Jr., Debbie Ratner-Salzberg and Michael Salzberg, and The Marta and Frank Jager Family Foundation.
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