Judaism has had a long history in China, with reports of Jewish settlers wending their way along the Silk Route as early as the 7thcentury. However it was not until the late 19th century that they appeared in Shanghai under British protection shortly after the first Opium War. This vibrant mix of European, Indian and Iraqi Sephardi Jews played a significant role in the development of early trade in China. The second exodus was a product of the 1917 Russian Revolution. The Tsarist regime’s attempts at ethnic cleansing, and the Bolshevik class struggle left the Ashkenazi Jews with little option but to flee. The final wave of European Jews arrived in Shanghai in the late 1930s and early 40s, to escape the holocaust. Shanghai as an open city became one of the few safe havens. However the authorities were not prepared for mass immigration and those arriving faced harsh conditions. Much of the aid given to them was provided by established Jewish communities. Despite cramped conditions and poor sanitation, the refugees quickly formed a functioning community with schools and newspapers. Hongkou became known as ‘little Vienna.’
By 1943 the number of Jews had swelled to 18,000 and the occupying Japanese relocated all of these so called ‘stateless refugees’ to an area of .75 square miles within the Hongkou district. They were officially liberated on September 3rd 1945, and over the next few years most had emigrated to the western countries and the newly formed state of Israel. Iconic landmarks like Victor Sassoon’s Peace Hotel and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music connect the city to its Jewish past. However it is the dark cramped lanes of the original Hongkou ghetto which provide the starkest reminder. Here, among a little changed backdrop stands the Ohel Moshe Synagogue, which is now the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum.