On August 1st, the exhibition “Shanghai, Homeland Once Upon a Time--Jewish Refugees and Shanghai” opened in New York. Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping, together with Vice President of Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Jing Ying, President of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation Arthur Schneier, and New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs Edward Mermelstein attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks. More than 100 guests including Jewish refugees who lived in Shanghai and Jewish refugee descendants were present at the opening ceremony.
Huang pointed out that the Chinese and the Jews have always lived in harmony. Between 1933 and 1941, more than 20,000 stateless Jews fled to Shanghai to escape the Holocaust. They were welcomed by local residents and resumed their normal life in this “modern-day Noah’s Ark” for Jews.
We have learned from this precious history that mankind shares a common future. Peace, development, unity and friendship should be cherished. As residents of planet Earth, we need unison, not division. In a volatile world fraught with common challenges, the world expects China and the United States to work together to advance the healthy and steady development of China-U.S. relations.
Huang Ping said that then Chinese Consul General in Vienna Ho Feng Shan rescued tens of thousands of Jews by issuing them lifesaving visa. Faced with difficulties in China-U.S. relations, we should take Ho as our role model, and do the right thing together to bring China-U.S. relations back onto the right track.
Rabbi Arthur Schneier gave an impassioned opening speech describing his experience as a Holocaust survivor and thanked Shanghai for accepting Jewish refugees. Rabbi Schneier said that American Jews will never forget their enduring friendship with the Chinese.
Jing Ying said that the friendship between the two peoples boosts relations between the two countries. We sincerely hope that China and the United States can engage more and build up mutual understanding between the two peoples through people-to-people exchanges.
On behalf of New York Mayor Eric Adams, Edward Mermelstein presented the Mayor’s Citation to the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum.
Chen Jian, curator of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, said that by protecting, researching on and sharing this part of history, our aim is to make sure that the tragedy must not happen again and call on people to lend a helping hand to those in need.
The exhibition features nearly 30 reproductions of precious cultural relics and historical records, more than 200 photos and documentary videos, and tells more than 30 oral histories of former Jewish refugees in Shanghai during WWII and their descendants. It allows the audience to feel the deep friendship between the Chinese and the Jewish people.
After the opening ceremony, Consul General Huang Ping hosted a reception at the Chinese Consulate General in New York to thank people from both sides that put the event together and those who have contributed to people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
