The German-Jewish Diaspora and its Cross-Pacific Experience: From China to the United States

“The German-Jewish Diaspora and its Cross-Pacific Experience: From China to the United States,” a presentation by Weijia Li, UW–Madison, sponsored by the Max Kade Institute.

From 1938 to 1941, more than 17,000 German and Austrian Jewish refugees fled from the Nazi terror to Shanghai, China. The refugees’ hope to use Shanghai as a temporary safe haven before transferring to the US or elsewhere was soon dashed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the outbreak of the Pacific War. As a result, they ended up spending a decade in China before many of them immigrated to the US after the end of World War II. In this presentation, Dr. Weijia Li will examine how the German-Jewish refugee community in Shanghai thrived despite the harshness of life in exile and during the war and how its members looked forward to a new life in America.

This presentation is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Email Antje Petty (apetty@wisc.edu) to receive a link, which will be sent to registrants on October 18, 2021.