Exile in Shanghai

Cilly Kugelmann talks to W. Michael Blumenthal and Horst Eisfelder (audio recording available, in German)

W. Michael Blumenthal and Horst Eisfelder have in common the time they spent in the Chinese harbor town Shanghai, the last place of refuge for 18,000 German Jews.

Under Japanese occupation between 1937 and 1945, Shangai was one of the few places across the globe which, after the annexation of Austria and November Pogroms allowed refugees to enter without a visa. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and America joining the war, the living conditions of the stateless asylum seekers in Shanghai worsened, who were forced to live in a closed district from 1943.

recording available

Map with all buildings that belong to the Jewish Museum Berlin. The Old Building is marked in green

Where

Old Building, level 2, Great Hall
Lindenstraße 9–14, 10969 Berlin

Where, when, what?

After the war, most went on to the USA, Israel, and other countries. Michael Blumenthal and Horst Eisfelder experienced this time – terrible for parents in particular – from the teenager’s perspective.

This evening focuses on their experiences during these years.