TITLE:
Arrival in Shanghai: A Sanctuary for Jewish Refugees (1933-1941)
AUTHORS:
Weihan Liu
KEYWORDS:
Shanghai, Jewish, Refugees, Nazi, Joint Distribution Committee
JOURNAL NAME:
Sociology Mind,
Vol.11 No.1,
January
20,
2021
ABSTRACT: Between 1933 and 1941, approximately 30,000 Jewish refugees arrived on
the coast of Shanghai. While some of them passed through to other countries for
sanctuary, most of them stayed in Shanghai until the war ended. These refugees
represented the Third Wave of Jewish migration into Shanghai. In the light of
the Sino-Japanese war, the governing authorities in Shanghai tried to stem the
influx of Jewish refugees. Despite this pressure, the Jewish refugees managed
to not only enter Shanghai but quickly create thriving communities in the
Tilanqiao area. This paper argues that they were able to do this because of
extensive help provided by already established Jewish communities in Shanghai
and overseas organizations such as the Joint Distribution Committee. The
support provided by these entities is often underplayed in the official
historical reports of this time. Using documentary evidence and refugee
memoirs, this paper will argue that in the absence of this help from the Jewish
communities and overseas organizations, the Jewish refugees would not have been
able to enter Shanghai, escape Nazi persecution and thrive in the way that they
did.