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It was
a strange atmosphere.
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00:00:22,166 --> 00:00:23,900
When you're on a boat,
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00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,166
that sort of feels
like vacation.
4
00:00:27,266 --> 00:00:29,233
But on the other hand,
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00:00:29,333 --> 00:00:33,733
you were really sailing
into a black hole.
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00:00:33,833 --> 00:00:38,266
You didn't know what
in God's name awaits you there.
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00:00:38,366 --> 00:00:40,800
I wondered,
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00:00:40,900 --> 00:00:43,466
would any of us
ever be alright again?
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00:01:09,733 --> 00:01:11,100
I took myself
the same tour
10
00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:12,966
I will deliver to you
this morning,
11
00:01:13,066 --> 00:01:14,733
and I find the whole story
fascinating
12
00:01:14,833 --> 00:01:16,666
because we do not
get to learn at all
13
00:01:16,766 --> 00:01:18,066
about the Jews
from the Far East,
14
00:01:18,166 --> 00:01:19,400
the Jews from China.
15
00:01:19,500 --> 00:01:21,509
Everything that I will tell you
in the next 4 hours,
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00:01:21,533 --> 00:01:24,033
completely new to me
when I arrive Shanghai.
17
00:01:28,100 --> 00:01:30,666
There was no other city in the
world that during the Holocaust,
18
00:01:30,766 --> 00:01:34,133
getting to save so many Jewish
lives like Shanghai did.
19
00:01:34,233 --> 00:01:36,900
Most of them lived right
in this neighborhood here,
20
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,133
and my question to you
will be, "PourquoiShanghai?"
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00:01:40,233 --> 00:01:41,742
You live in Germany,
you live in Austria,
22
00:01:41,766 --> 00:01:44,666
you live in Poland...
Why are you coming to here?
23
00:02:12,266 --> 00:02:14,233
I was born
in Vienna, Austria.
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00:02:14,333 --> 00:02:16,300
It was 1938.
25
00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:17,633
My parents, prior to that,
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00:02:17,733 --> 00:02:20,733
had a very comfortable life
in Vienna,
27
00:02:20,833 --> 00:02:23,100
and I used to hear stories
about the music
28
00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:24,966
and the pastries
and the chocolates
29
00:02:25,066 --> 00:02:27,666
and going to the mountains
on weekends.
30
00:02:30,366 --> 00:02:33,633
I was a skier
and I was an ice skater.
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00:02:33,733 --> 00:02:37,800
I was in Vienna
from 1 to about 11 years,
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00:02:37,900 --> 00:02:40,266
and it was the perfect life.
33
00:02:40,366 --> 00:02:42,933
My dad owned
a furniture store in Berlin.
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00:02:43,033 --> 00:02:44,600
It was a large family.
35
00:02:44,700 --> 00:02:47,700
My father was one of nine.
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00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:49,166
The family was close.
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00:02:49,266 --> 00:02:50,900
We kids played,
38
00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:55,233
and it was just like
a regular childhood.
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00:02:55,333 --> 00:02:57,833
There was absolutely nothing
40
00:02:57,933 --> 00:03:00,566
to warn of what was
going to happen.
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00:03:06,266 --> 00:03:08,693
The Jews were very proud
to be German.
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00:03:08,717 --> 00:03:11,166
The Jews were very proud
to be German.
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00:03:11,266 --> 00:03:13,733
At first, there were people,
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00:03:13,833 --> 00:03:16,066
including my father,
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00:03:16,166 --> 00:03:17,933
who thought that,
well, you know,
46
00:03:18,033 --> 00:03:20,066
"I fought in World War I.
47
00:03:20,166 --> 00:03:22,066
Surely, they will
leave me alone."
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00:03:22,166 --> 00:03:25,266
Well,
that... that...
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00:03:25,366 --> 00:03:26,933
that did not happen.
50
00:03:30,366 --> 00:03:34,600
There was a period
beginning when I was about 4,
51
00:03:34,700 --> 00:03:37,300
when I felt in relatively
constant danger
52
00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:39,333
growing up in Berlin.
53
00:03:39,433 --> 00:03:43,166
And then the worst period
was Kristallnacht.
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00:03:43,266 --> 00:03:47,166
Which is known as
Night of the Broken Glass.
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00:03:47,266 --> 00:03:49,366
And that's when everybody
started saying,
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00:03:49,466 --> 00:03:53,500
"Oh, this is getting bad."
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00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,100
My mother had a
store, and the store was wrecked
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00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,333
and taken away from her.
59
00:03:58,433 --> 00:04:03,500
Most of the Jewish men
between the ages of 18 and 60
60
00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,100
that the Nazis could find
that night
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00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:08,766
were arrested...
My father was arrested...
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00:04:08,866 --> 00:04:11,766
Were taken
to concentration camps.
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00:04:11,866 --> 00:04:14,533
The next morning,
after Kristallnacht was over,
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00:04:14,633 --> 00:04:17,433
in the center of the courtyard
of our synagogue
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00:04:17,533 --> 00:04:21,433
was a mountain
of simmering ashes.
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00:04:21,533 --> 00:04:23,333
And in the center of the mound,
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00:04:23,433 --> 00:04:27,233
I could see the handles
of the Holy Torah scrolls.
68
00:04:27,333 --> 00:04:30,666
And that was perhaps the most
frightening moment of all.
69
00:04:30,766 --> 00:04:34,300
I suddenly realized that there
was no safety for us anywhere.
70
00:04:41,266 --> 00:04:43,066
Many people
were giving up.
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00:04:43,166 --> 00:04:46,400
There were suicides,
people were leaving.
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00:04:46,500 --> 00:04:47,966
We were in terror.
73
00:04:48,066 --> 00:04:52,233
My aunt and uncle knew
that the time had come...
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00:04:52,333 --> 00:04:54,700
We get out now,
or we don't get out.
75
00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:59,566
That's really all I know.
76
00:04:59,666 --> 00:05:03,133
Then came
this terrible time
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00:05:03,233 --> 00:05:07,166
when my father went
from consulate to consulate
78
00:05:07,266 --> 00:05:09,666
to see if we could be accepted.
79
00:05:09,766 --> 00:05:11,333
The problem was that
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00:05:11,433 --> 00:05:13,566
while there was a lot
of sympathy in the world
81
00:05:13,666 --> 00:05:18,566
for us as victims
and refugees,
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00:05:18,666 --> 00:05:22,300
very few countries
wanted to accept us.
83
00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:25,400
My father,
who was a career diplomat,
84
00:05:25,500 --> 00:05:28,233
was posted to Vienna, Austria,
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00:05:28,333 --> 00:05:29,933
to the Chinese legation there
86
00:05:30,033 --> 00:05:32,233
in the spring of 1937.
87
00:05:34,700 --> 00:05:37,266
He was fluent in German.
He was very social.
88
00:05:37,366 --> 00:05:39,466
He had very many
Jewish friends
89
00:05:39,566 --> 00:05:43,966
because Vienna was really the
cultural hub of Western Europe.
90
00:05:44,066 --> 00:05:48,166
And as soon as Hitler came in,
the persecution was so public,
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00:05:48,266 --> 00:05:49,833
so humiliating.
92
00:05:49,933 --> 00:05:52,666
My father said it's daily,
93
00:05:52,766 --> 00:05:55,866
you know, you see it
every single day.
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00:05:55,966 --> 00:05:58,200
He just couldn't stand by.
95
00:05:58,300 --> 00:06:03,566
So he came up with
a very ingenious strategy.
96
00:06:03,666 --> 00:06:06,909
- Word began to spread about this place called Shanghai,
- Word began to spread about this place called Shanghai,
97
00:06:06,933 --> 00:06:08,633
Which again,
perhaps the refugees
98
00:06:08,733 --> 00:06:10,900
have seen in a movie once
or read about it in a book,
99
00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:14,966
but it was this
faraway, exotic place.
100
00:06:15,066 --> 00:06:17,800
Situated near the mouth
of the Yangtze River,
101
00:06:17,900 --> 00:06:21,500
it is the biggest city in China.
102
00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:23,566
As the largest seaport
in the Far East,
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00:06:23,666 --> 00:06:27,266
it dominated the commerce
and foreign trade of China.
104
00:06:27,366 --> 00:06:29,233
And through its great docks
and channels
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00:06:29,333 --> 00:06:32,300
passed most of the wealth
of the Orient.
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00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:35,433
In Shanghai, truly,
the East met the West.
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00:06:38,133 --> 00:06:39,466
So, what happened
to Shanghai
108
00:06:39,566 --> 00:06:41,633
was that it was
essentially divided up.
109
00:06:41,733 --> 00:06:44,566
Different imperialist powers
would go in.
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00:06:44,666 --> 00:06:48,166
It started with the British
in 1840, after the Opium War.
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00:06:48,266 --> 00:06:50,966
Then the Americans came in.
They got a part.
112
00:06:51,066 --> 00:06:52,900
Later, the French arrived,
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00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:54,900
and they said, "We want
part of Shanghai, too,
114
00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:57,800
that we can control
with our government."
115
00:06:57,900 --> 00:07:01,033
And then starting in the 1930s,
you have the Japanese.
116
00:07:03,266 --> 00:07:04,266
From North China
117
00:07:04,300 --> 00:07:05,900
down the coast of Shanghai,
118
00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:07,933
grow the storm clouds of war,
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00:07:08,033 --> 00:07:11,433
bringing terror to the hearts
of the city's people.
120
00:07:11,533 --> 00:07:13,833
The Japanese
began invading China
121
00:07:13,933 --> 00:07:15,233
in the early 1930s,
122
00:07:15,333 --> 00:07:17,433
and they start in the north
in Manchuria
123
00:07:17,533 --> 00:07:19,533
and gradually come closer
and closer.
124
00:07:19,633 --> 00:07:21,366
China
was to be the giant back
125
00:07:21,466 --> 00:07:25,833
on which Japan would ride
to world conquest.
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00:07:25,933 --> 00:07:28,633
The Japanese occupy
more and more of China,
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00:07:28,733 --> 00:07:30,133
and in 1937,
128
00:07:30,233 --> 00:07:32,300
they gradually are closing in
on Shanghai.
129
00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:33,800
They encircle it.
130
00:07:39,933 --> 00:07:43,666
When Japan routed
the Chinese government,
131
00:07:43,766 --> 00:07:47,600
they left and they left the port
of Shanghai with nothing...
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00:07:47,700 --> 00:07:50,666
You know, with no immigration,
no passport control, nothing.
133
00:07:50,766 --> 00:07:52,700
The reason the Japanese
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00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:54,966
didn't take immediate
control of the port
135
00:07:55,066 --> 00:07:58,800
was because the other foreign
powers didn't want them to.
136
00:07:58,900 --> 00:08:04,366
So my father seized on that
opportunity to issue visas
137
00:08:04,466 --> 00:08:07,800
to the one place that
didn't require visas, Shanghai.
138
00:08:07,900 --> 00:08:09,566
It helped people get out.
139
00:08:09,666 --> 00:08:12,300
I mean, the Germans
and the Austrians didn't know.
140
00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:14,300
Right, they see this visa
for Shanghai...
141
00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:16,800
"Okay, you're going to Shanghai,
we'll let you go."
142
00:08:16,900 --> 00:08:19,866
Somebody says,
"You know, there's a long line
143
00:08:19,966 --> 00:08:22,733
standing in front
of the Chinese consulate.
144
00:08:22,833 --> 00:08:24,133
Why don't you go there?"
145
00:08:24,233 --> 00:08:27,433
And my father went to that
long line, and he stood in line,
146
00:08:27,533 --> 00:08:30,266
and within five minutes,
he had a visa.
147
00:08:30,366 --> 00:08:33,933
And he came out and said, "See!
We can always go to Shanghai!"
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00:08:34,033 --> 00:08:35,300
That's all he knew.
149
00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:36,766
So all of a sudden,
150
00:08:36,866 --> 00:08:39,133
Shanghai caught on
like wildfire.
151
00:08:39,233 --> 00:08:44,066
It became a failsafe
for the Jews in Germany,
152
00:08:44,166 --> 00:08:47,066
who didn't have access
to Vienna, to those visas,
153
00:08:47,166 --> 00:08:50,233
who heard, "Oh, my gosh,
there is a place
154
00:08:50,333 --> 00:08:54,033
where you don't need
any papers to go to."
155
00:08:54,133 --> 00:08:56,866
It put Shanghai on the map.
156
00:09:06,433 --> 00:09:08,576
- Our parents couldn't tell us much.
- Our parents couldn't tell us much.
157
00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:11,000
They didn't know
what this was gonna be like.
158
00:09:11,100 --> 00:09:12,966
You know,
they were just as clueless
159
00:09:13,066 --> 00:09:14,566
as we children were.
160
00:09:14,666 --> 00:09:20,266
They were going into
a totally foreign atmosphere.
161
00:09:20,366 --> 00:09:23,366
My mother was terrified
of Shanghai.
162
00:09:23,466 --> 00:09:26,700
She said, "Isn't this where
they kill white people?"
163
00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:28,600
That's how much we knew.
164
00:09:28,700 --> 00:09:33,066
In their wildest dreams,
they never thought,
165
00:09:33,166 --> 00:09:35,066
"I'm gonna be living
in Shanghai."
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00:09:35,166 --> 00:09:37,266
I don't think that ever entered
anybody's mind,
167
00:09:37,366 --> 00:09:39,066
until it happened.
168
00:09:42,100 --> 00:09:44,466
When I read about
the faraway land,
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00:09:44,566 --> 00:09:47,466
I saw lovely pictures
of dainty Chinese ladies
170
00:09:47,566 --> 00:09:49,733
in long, silken gowns
171
00:09:49,833 --> 00:09:52,233
strolling
in beautiful gardens...
172
00:09:52,333 --> 00:09:54,866
Butterflies fluttered about
the snowy-white heads
173
00:09:54,966 --> 00:09:57,166
of huge chrysanthemums.
174
00:10:00,133 --> 00:10:04,566
And then the anchor dropped,
the engines stopped,
175
00:10:04,666 --> 00:10:08,733
the gangplank came down and
connected us to our new world.
176
00:10:08,833 --> 00:10:10,900
And what a world it was.
177
00:10:32,366 --> 00:10:35,966
Shanghai was chaos,
dirty, unmanaged.
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00:10:36,066 --> 00:10:39,400
From here to here,
you weren't walking alone.
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00:10:39,500 --> 00:10:41,266
There was always
one line of people,
180
00:10:41,366 --> 00:10:43,133
another line, another line,
181
00:10:43,233 --> 00:10:48,833
probably with some goats
and pigs slithering between you.
182
00:10:48,933 --> 00:10:52,000
We loaded
our belongings on rickshaws.
183
00:10:52,100 --> 00:10:54,500
They pulled us
to a fleabag hotel
184
00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,933
where we made the acquaintance
with the scourge of Shanghai...
185
00:10:58,033 --> 00:11:01,533
Bedbugs, mosquitos, rats.
186
00:11:01,633 --> 00:11:04,166
But there were no guns!
187
00:11:04,266 --> 00:11:06,833
Nobody shot at us!
188
00:11:06,933 --> 00:11:08,733
The people
who got off those ships,
189
00:11:08,833 --> 00:11:10,533
many of them had
no money at all.
190
00:11:10,633 --> 00:11:13,866
They came with 10 marks
in their pocket from Germany.
191
00:11:13,966 --> 00:11:16,233
The Nazis
did not allow you
192
00:11:16,333 --> 00:11:19,200
to take any money or jewelry.
193
00:11:19,300 --> 00:11:21,200
You had the clothes
on your back,
194
00:11:21,300 --> 00:11:24,200
plus what you could carry
in one bag...
195
00:11:24,300 --> 00:11:25,433
That's it.
196
00:11:25,533 --> 00:11:28,700
And how much could that
possibly provide?
197
00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,766
And here they are trying
to find a place to live.
198
00:11:31,866 --> 00:11:35,200
My mother began to cry,
and my father said.
199
00:11:35,300 --> 00:11:38,200
"We'll get you out of here,
we'll get you out of here."
200
00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,466
I closed my eyes
against the light.
201
00:11:47,566 --> 00:11:50,966
I tried to shut out
the busy noises around me.
202
00:11:51,066 --> 00:11:55,400
And right there, young
and as green as I was,
203
00:11:55,500 --> 00:11:56,833
I made up my mind
204
00:11:56,933 --> 00:12:01,900
that I would have as little
as possible to do with China.
205
00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,800
Shanghai would serve
as a waiting place,
206
00:12:04,900 --> 00:12:06,710
a place to go
from a place of "home."
207
00:12:06,734 --> 00:12:08,566
A place to go
from a place of "home."
208
00:12:08,666 --> 00:12:11,933
I would think of myself
as a girl Robinson Crusoe...
209
00:12:12,033 --> 00:12:16,266
Shipwrecked on an island,
waiting for a ship to rescue me
210
00:12:16,366 --> 00:12:18,933
and bring me back home.
211
00:12:27,533 --> 00:12:30,100
It was called
the Paris of the Orient.
212
00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:35,600
It was vibrant, cosmopolitan,
international.
213
00:12:35,700 --> 00:12:38,566
It really put cheek by jowl
this incredible wealth
214
00:12:38,666 --> 00:12:41,933
and this incredible poverty.
215
00:12:42,033 --> 00:12:43,700
The Jewish community of Shanghai
216
00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:46,133
was actually very diverse
by this point.
217
00:12:46,233 --> 00:12:47,466
There were the Jewish refugees
218
00:12:47,566 --> 00:12:50,433
coming from Vienna
and from Berlin.
219
00:12:50,533 --> 00:12:52,173
There was also
a Russian Jewish community,
220
00:12:52,233 --> 00:12:56,533
Russian Jews who had come
after the Russian Revolution.
221
00:12:56,633 --> 00:12:58,533
But the first wave
are the Baghdadi Jews
222
00:12:58,633 --> 00:13:00,233
who come in the 19th century.
223
00:13:00,333 --> 00:13:02,200
All of the Baghdadi Jews
who came
224
00:13:02,300 --> 00:13:04,566
were global financiers already.
225
00:13:04,666 --> 00:13:06,942
They were dealing with India,
they were dealing with London.
226
00:13:06,966 --> 00:13:10,666
And they end up taking over
the opium trade.
227
00:13:10,766 --> 00:13:14,633
My parents are Orthodox
Iraqi Jews from China
228
00:13:14,733 --> 00:13:17,033
who worked
for an opium dealer.
229
00:13:17,133 --> 00:13:19,200
In some ways, it was like
they were not in China...
230
00:13:19,300 --> 00:13:21,566
They were in their own
little bubble.
231
00:13:21,666 --> 00:13:26,833
Shanghai in the '30s
was a place of immense wealth,
232
00:13:26,933 --> 00:13:31,200
and the Baghdadi Jews were
a huge part of the wealth.
233
00:13:31,300 --> 00:13:35,066
Families had servants,
and there were dance halls.
234
00:13:35,166 --> 00:13:39,600
They had horses
at the racetrack.
235
00:13:39,700 --> 00:13:42,233
Once the refugees
started arriving,
236
00:13:42,333 --> 00:13:45,233
it was overwhelming
for our Jewish community.
237
00:13:45,333 --> 00:13:48,666
And my mother was quite
astonished by their condition
238
00:13:48,766 --> 00:13:52,800
and said that she had never met
a poor Jew before.
239
00:13:52,900 --> 00:13:54,633
"We're the wealthy Jews
of Shanghai."
240
00:13:54,733 --> 00:13:58,166
Like, "Who are these folks
suddenly giving us a bad name?"
241
00:13:58,266 --> 00:14:01,433
I think ultimately what
the wealthy Jews realize is,
242
00:14:01,533 --> 00:14:04,433
is that their fate
is tied to these refugees.
243
00:14:04,533 --> 00:14:07,000
They can't turn
their back on them.
244
00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:14,200
Victor Sassoon, who is really
the king of Shanghai...
245
00:14:14,300 --> 00:14:16,533
He's a billionaire,
very influential.
246
00:14:16,633 --> 00:14:19,233
The Japanese appoint a man
named Inuzuka
247
00:14:19,333 --> 00:14:21,533
to be in charge
of the Jewish question.
248
00:14:21,633 --> 00:14:25,266
He really believes, in this
kind of anti-Semitic way,
249
00:14:25,366 --> 00:14:28,266
that Victor Sassoon
controls everything
250
00:14:28,366 --> 00:14:30,400
because he's a wealthy Jew.
251
00:14:30,500 --> 00:14:33,266
Victor Sassoon understands that,
and so what happens
252
00:14:33,366 --> 00:14:35,466
over the next year and a half,
two years,
253
00:14:35,566 --> 00:14:37,866
is this ballet that goes on,
254
00:14:37,966 --> 00:14:40,033
or you could call it a con job,
255
00:14:40,133 --> 00:14:44,100
where Victor Sassoon encourages
the Japanese to believe
256
00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,400
that, yes, he's talking
to the British government,
257
00:14:46,500 --> 00:14:48,200
he's talking to the Americans,
258
00:14:48,300 --> 00:14:50,333
he'll think of investing
in Japan.
259
00:14:50,433 --> 00:14:53,233
"Just keep on protecting
these Jews who are coming in,
260
00:14:53,333 --> 00:14:57,166
and I'll make sure
things work out."
261
00:14:57,266 --> 00:15:01,233
And so the Baghdadi Jews begin
to find the refugees housing,
262
00:15:01,333 --> 00:15:05,066
to feed them,
helping them pay for things.
263
00:15:05,166 --> 00:15:08,976
- There were one or two Jewish families, very wealthy,
- There were one or two Jewish families, very wealthy,
264
00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,700
And one of them sent
some cattle trucks to pick us up
265
00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:18,433
and bring us to some home
in one of the Chinese areas.
266
00:15:24,133 --> 00:15:25,533
You walk
down the alley
267
00:15:25,633 --> 00:15:29,333
and you see laundry
hanging out everywhere,
268
00:15:29,433 --> 00:15:33,033
and you're living practically
on top of each other.
269
00:15:33,133 --> 00:15:36,033
We lived in this little house
270
00:15:36,133 --> 00:15:39,566
of about 200 to 250 square feet,
271
00:15:39,666 --> 00:15:42,066
and a family of four.
272
00:15:42,166 --> 00:15:46,166
We lived in a house
on the lane on 737 Broadway,
273
00:15:46,266 --> 00:15:48,600
and I believe
almost all the houses
274
00:15:48,700 --> 00:15:52,066
except for one or two were
also occupied by other refugees.
275
00:15:53,966 --> 00:15:55,866
One of the things that was
absolutely shocking
276
00:15:55,966 --> 00:15:58,733
is that they would have
a toilet in the room,
277
00:15:58,833 --> 00:16:00,000
they would have buckets.
278
00:16:00,100 --> 00:16:02,400
Anybody who doesn't know
what the honey bucket is,
279
00:16:02,500 --> 00:16:05,933
it's the toilet that gets
picked up every day
280
00:16:06,033 --> 00:16:07,933
by a big wagon,
281
00:16:08,033 --> 00:16:12,133
and the wagon gets filled
and got drawn through the lane,
282
00:16:12,233 --> 00:16:13,866
and it used to spill
a little bit
283
00:16:13,966 --> 00:16:16,733
of the stuff
on the road.
284
00:16:16,833 --> 00:16:20,900
The living conditions
were way more primitive
285
00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:25,166
than in other parts of Shanghai.
286
00:16:25,266 --> 00:16:27,366
Our parents,
they never let on
287
00:16:27,466 --> 00:16:31,000
that they were making
any sacrifices.
288
00:16:31,100 --> 00:16:34,666
And when I think about it now,
it really saddens me.
289
00:16:34,766 --> 00:16:36,500
If there was
a little bit of food,
290
00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:38,333
being the baby in the family,
291
00:16:38,433 --> 00:16:40,500
I'm the one
that actually got it.
292
00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:42,333
The rest went hungry.
293
00:16:42,433 --> 00:16:45,933
We had almost nothing.
294
00:16:46,033 --> 00:16:49,100
We did not have a kitchen.
295
00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:53,500
My mother, she had
what we call a Chinese stove.
296
00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:58,466
You could not do it indoors
or you'd die from noxious fumes.
297
00:16:58,566 --> 00:16:59,966
My mother...
298
00:17:05,466 --> 00:17:09,533
...was such a wonderful cook.
299
00:17:09,633 --> 00:17:14,333
She made all kinds of stuff
on this dinky little stove.
300
00:17:16,833 --> 00:17:19,733
Hongkou was
the worst part of Shanghai.
301
00:17:19,833 --> 00:17:23,266
As it turned out, several of
the wealthy Jewish families
302
00:17:23,366 --> 00:17:26,466
owned a lot of property there,
so they were able to say,
303
00:17:26,566 --> 00:17:30,366
"Well, you know, we'll kind of
move these refugees there."
304
00:17:30,466 --> 00:17:32,800
It was a poor community.
305
00:17:32,900 --> 00:17:35,300
There were a lot
of bombed-out buildings.
306
00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:37,900
The Chinese themselves
had often been refugees.
307
00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:39,766
They'd come from
the countryside.
308
00:17:39,866 --> 00:17:41,700
They'd come to Shanghai.
309
00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:04,700
Hongkou,
where the refugees lived,
310
00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:06,710
had been occupied
by the Japanese in 1937.
311
00:18:06,734 --> 00:18:08,666
Had been occupied
by the Japanese in 1937.
312
00:18:35,933 --> 00:18:37,333
In general,
it was very frightening
313
00:18:37,433 --> 00:18:38,933
because you'd see
Japanese soldiers
314
00:18:39,033 --> 00:18:41,266
who had been drinking too much
walking along the street.
315
00:18:41,366 --> 00:18:44,666
But I remember an older Chinese
woman walking on the street
316
00:18:44,766 --> 00:18:46,333
and a Japanese soldier
accosting her
317
00:18:46,433 --> 00:18:49,500
and feeling between her legs,
and I was shocked.
318
00:18:56,500 --> 00:19:00,600
Sometimes, you could see
these little straw packages.
319
00:19:00,700 --> 00:19:04,400
And we all knew
those were dead babies,
320
00:19:04,500 --> 00:19:08,900
who had died over the night of
starvation and things like that.
321
00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:12,966
I was stunned by that.
322
00:19:13,066 --> 00:19:16,800
And not only that I would have
a sense of empathy
323
00:19:16,900 --> 00:19:18,766
for the difficulties
of the Chinese,
324
00:19:18,866 --> 00:19:21,200
which were the same as ours,
325
00:19:21,300 --> 00:19:24,466
surviving in a very
difficult environment.
326
00:19:24,566 --> 00:19:27,466
But I guess underneath that
was also the fear
327
00:19:27,566 --> 00:19:29,966
that that could happen to me.
328
00:19:30,066 --> 00:19:32,633
And I realized it was one world.
329
00:19:46,133 --> 00:19:47,833
My father was deaf.
330
00:19:47,933 --> 00:19:51,500
He was an orphan,
and he was poor.
331
00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:53,233
In Germany, he had
332
00:19:53,333 --> 00:19:57,633
a whole completely different
social circumstance.
333
00:19:57,733 --> 00:20:00,633
So when he got to Shanghai,
he was a bird that could soar.
334
00:20:00,733 --> 00:20:01,966
He was on equal footing
335
00:20:02,066 --> 00:20:04,066
with every European
in Chinese culture,
336
00:20:04,166 --> 00:20:05,833
'cause no one knew the language.
337
00:20:05,933 --> 00:20:09,133
So that deafness
actually became an attribute
338
00:20:09,233 --> 00:20:11,166
because he'd communicate
as he always did
339
00:20:11,266 --> 00:20:14,000
through his life,
by using sign.
340
00:20:18,866 --> 00:20:21,533
These are the boxes
of my father's artwork.
341
00:20:21,633 --> 00:20:23,666
These are his woodcuts.
342
00:20:25,466 --> 00:20:27,466
It's hard to see, but this is
343
00:20:27,566 --> 00:20:30,633
one man's lifetime of work.
344
00:20:30,733 --> 00:20:33,266
Look at his artwork.
You can see what he heard.
345
00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,900
He heard the heights
of beautiful things
346
00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,633
and the incredible pain
and suffering
347
00:20:48,733 --> 00:20:52,000
of those people
who lived out in the street,
348
00:20:52,100 --> 00:20:55,966
of the beggars who had parts
missing, who were starving,
349
00:20:56,066 --> 00:20:58,033
to the children who were
innocent bystanders
350
00:20:58,133 --> 00:21:01,433
of all this unkindness,
if you will.
351
00:21:08,166 --> 00:21:10,733
He didn't let them die
and just go away.
352
00:21:10,833 --> 00:21:12,333
He honored them.
353
00:21:12,433 --> 00:21:15,333
He gave them voice.
354
00:21:15,433 --> 00:21:17,500
Even though he was deaf,
355
00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,133
he had this amazing ability
356
00:21:20,233 --> 00:21:21,966
to understand life
357
00:21:22,066 --> 00:21:26,166
on a very profound
and deep level.
358
00:21:26,266 --> 00:21:30,300
He is them, they are him.
359
00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:32,933
The Chinese were
very, very gracious
360
00:21:33,033 --> 00:21:34,433
to the immigrants.
361
00:21:34,533 --> 00:21:37,933
We lived amongst them,
they were poor,
362
00:21:38,033 --> 00:21:41,300
and they accepted us.
363
00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:46,133
There was definitely compassion
for each other.
364
00:21:46,233 --> 00:21:48,200
For the Jewish refugees,
365
00:21:48,300 --> 00:21:51,633
when they had fled Germany
and had fled Austria,
366
00:21:51,733 --> 00:21:53,466
their neighbors,
their non-Jewish neighbors,
367
00:21:53,566 --> 00:21:54,566
hated them.
368
00:21:54,633 --> 00:21:57,433
In China, everyone was
kind of equal.
369
00:21:57,533 --> 00:21:59,000
They were living
so close together
370
00:21:59,100 --> 00:22:00,900
that if they heard
a baby crying,
371
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,500
they would offer some of their
food to the family with a baby,
372
00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:05,433
whether they were
Chinese or Jewish.
373
00:22:05,533 --> 00:22:07,966
They had nothing
to give us,
374
00:22:08,066 --> 00:22:10,433
any more than we had
to give them,
375
00:22:10,533 --> 00:22:14,566
other than friendship
and being together.
376
00:22:22,333 --> 00:22:26,200
How do you feel
if you are marginalized,
377
00:22:26,300 --> 00:22:28,800
if what you want
doesn't matter,
378
00:22:28,900 --> 00:22:32,033
if you don't have a government
to protect you,
379
00:22:32,133 --> 00:22:35,700
if you think nobody
even knows you exist?
380
00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:38,733
It's a feeling
I've never forgotten.
381
00:22:38,833 --> 00:22:42,066
And that's how
the refugees felt.
382
00:22:42,166 --> 00:22:44,700
You just think,
"What will I do tomorrow?
383
00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:45,866
What's gonna be tomorrow?"
384
00:22:45,966 --> 00:22:47,333
Not "what's gonna be
next year,"
385
00:22:47,433 --> 00:22:50,333
because we don't know.
386
00:22:50,433 --> 00:22:52,833
You have to remember
these were families and children
387
00:22:52,933 --> 00:22:55,700
who had came from middle-class
families in Berlin and Vienna.
388
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,633
They had been going to school,
they played sports.
389
00:22:58,733 --> 00:23:00,200
They had had a normal life.
390
00:23:00,300 --> 00:23:03,466
Suddenly, they were uprooted
and thrown into conditions
391
00:23:03,566 --> 00:23:05,933
of terrible poverty, disease.
392
00:23:06,033 --> 00:23:08,266
But it was also
completely unstructured.
393
00:23:08,366 --> 00:23:10,766
These children were roaming
the streets during the day.
394
00:23:10,866 --> 00:23:13,300
They were forming gangs.
I think for the parents,
395
00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,566
this was the most
heartbreaking thing.
396
00:23:15,666 --> 00:23:17,733
They thought, "My children
have no future.
397
00:23:17,833 --> 00:23:19,400
My children have no hope."
398
00:23:19,500 --> 00:23:21,500
What I think really
changed that for them
399
00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:23,833
was the Kadoorie School.
400
00:23:23,933 --> 00:23:28,166
A very wealthy Jewish man
by the name of Horace Kadoorie
401
00:23:28,266 --> 00:23:31,133
opened a school
for the Jewish kids.
402
00:23:35,066 --> 00:23:38,833
Life at
the Kadoorie School was, for me,
403
00:23:38,933 --> 00:23:41,833
one of the most important
things of Shanghai.
404
00:23:41,933 --> 00:23:44,233
It gave me the education I had.
405
00:23:44,333 --> 00:23:46,600
Our school had
a wonderful principal...
406
00:23:46,700 --> 00:23:48,000
Lucie Hartwich.
407
00:23:48,100 --> 00:23:50,166
I can see her
in front of me right now.
408
00:23:50,266 --> 00:23:52,133
She wore her hair with a wave.
409
00:23:52,233 --> 00:23:53,633
Always made-up.
410
00:23:53,733 --> 00:23:59,133
She was a no-nonsense person who
insisted that we learn English.
411
00:23:59,233 --> 00:24:02,733
The idea of us not talking
German in school was just that
412
00:24:02,833 --> 00:24:05,733
we didn't like the Germans,
and second of all,
413
00:24:05,833 --> 00:24:08,242
- if you graduated from our school,
- if you graduated from our school,
414
00:24:08,266 --> 00:24:11,866
You automatically could enter
the University of Cambridge
415
00:24:11,966 --> 00:24:15,200
because they followed
that program.
416
00:24:15,300 --> 00:24:19,300
This school also had
a lot of activities.
417
00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:22,300
It wasn't just come to school,
learn, go home.
418
00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:23,700
I danced.
419
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:25,900
Mister Erstein,
he was our teacher.
420
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:27,266
I don't know how I'm remem...
421
00:24:27,366 --> 00:24:29,933
At 85, I'm remembering
all these names.
422
00:24:30,033 --> 00:24:34,033
There was this
gym teacher, Leo Meyer,
423
00:24:34,133 --> 00:24:36,433
and he was a holy terror.
424
00:24:36,533 --> 00:24:40,500
I'm convinced that he
ate nails for breakfast.
425
00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:42,600
I have memories
of doing
426
00:24:42,700 --> 00:24:45,266
what you would consider
normal things
427
00:24:45,366 --> 00:24:48,733
under un-normal circumstances.
428
00:24:48,833 --> 00:24:52,633
And you made lifelong
friendships
429
00:24:52,733 --> 00:24:55,633
because you were all
in the same boat.
430
00:24:58,100 --> 00:25:01,033
We had Jewish
youth organizations,
431
00:25:01,133 --> 00:25:03,666
and we had theatrical plays.
432
00:25:03,766 --> 00:25:08,733
It was always to a Jewish theme,
all the time.
433
00:25:08,833 --> 00:25:12,900
We were taught, "You are Jews,
no matter what."
434
00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:15,633
And that sticks.
435
00:25:15,733 --> 00:25:18,833
My parents joined
a synagogue called Ohel Moshe,
436
00:25:18,933 --> 00:25:21,700
and our Hebrew school,
called the Talmud Torah,
437
00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:24,100
was also there
on the third floor.
438
00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:26,766
The fact that I was reading
the holy language
439
00:25:26,866 --> 00:25:30,033
was a source of great comfort
to my parents and to me.
440
00:25:30,133 --> 00:25:34,333
Studying the sacred texts really
meant that Judaism was alive,
441
00:25:34,433 --> 00:25:38,366
and therefore that I was alive.
442
00:25:38,466 --> 00:25:42,166
I wear
the Star of David all the time.
443
00:25:42,266 --> 00:25:47,400
The day I can't wear it anymore,
it's time to leave,
444
00:25:47,500 --> 00:25:52,533
because that means they don't
want me wherever I am.
445
00:25:58,566 --> 00:26:01,866
The savage
blow unparalleled in infamy,
446
00:26:01,966 --> 00:26:06,033
Pearl Harbor,
December the 7th, 1941.
447
00:26:11,133 --> 00:26:14,200
Yet a day promised
intolerable suffering
448
00:26:14,300 --> 00:26:17,100
and sacrifices
to so many nations,
449
00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:19,366
and eventually
presented Shanghai Jews
450
00:26:19,466 --> 00:26:24,700
with a whole new set of troubles
and undiluted anguish.
451
00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,033
Japan bombed
Pearl Harbor,
452
00:26:27,133 --> 00:26:28,900
and war was then declared
453
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,133
between the United States
and the Allies
454
00:26:31,233 --> 00:26:33,733
and Japan.
455
00:26:33,833 --> 00:26:35,066
After Pearl Harbor,
456
00:26:35,166 --> 00:26:38,066
suddenly the Japanese controlled
most of Shanghai.
457
00:26:38,166 --> 00:26:40,000
They force
all British citizens
458
00:26:40,100 --> 00:26:42,600
and all American citizens
to put on labels
459
00:26:42,700 --> 00:26:44,100
identifying themselves,
460
00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:47,200
and then they are put
in internment camps.
461
00:26:47,300 --> 00:26:50,133
My parents were Russian Jews.
462
00:26:50,233 --> 00:26:53,666
My father had become
an American citizen,
463
00:26:53,766 --> 00:26:57,200
and so he was dragged off
by Japanese soldiers
464
00:26:57,300 --> 00:27:00,366
and taken
to a Japanese prison camp.
465
00:27:00,466 --> 00:27:05,400
I remember standing
on some kind of a little box
466
00:27:05,500 --> 00:27:08,676
- in the middle of the street, and I remember waving to him.
- In the middle of the street, and I remember waving to him.
467
00:27:08,700 --> 00:27:11,100
And asking my mother,
"What did he do?
468
00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:12,766
Why are they doing this to him?"
469
00:27:12,866 --> 00:27:15,233
And the sense of injustice.
470
00:27:15,333 --> 00:27:17,866
I knew that something
unfair had happened.
471
00:27:17,966 --> 00:27:19,433
My father had done
nothing wrong,
472
00:27:19,533 --> 00:27:23,833
and yet he was being taken away
from his family.
473
00:27:23,933 --> 00:27:27,000
Some of the wealthy Jews
were actually imprisoned
474
00:27:27,100 --> 00:27:30,500
and tortured by the Japanese
because the Japanese believed
475
00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:32,900
that they had been conspiring
with the British
476
00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:35,100
and the Americans
against the Japanese.
477
00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:36,766
Victor Sassoon has fled.
478
00:27:36,866 --> 00:27:39,666
These wealthy Jews
who had protected the refugees,
479
00:27:39,766 --> 00:27:42,700
who had supported them,
now were powerless.
480
00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:44,700
The Japanese were now in charge,
481
00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:47,700
and they're formally allies
with the Germans.
482
00:27:55,433 --> 00:27:56,833
The Germans,
who were aware
483
00:27:56,933 --> 00:27:59,566
of 20-odd-thousand
Jewish refugees
484
00:27:59,666 --> 00:28:01,133
living in Shanghai,
485
00:28:01,233 --> 00:28:04,000
sent Colonel Josef Meisinger,
486
00:28:04,100 --> 00:28:06,100
who was known
as the Butcher of Warsaw.
487
00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,466
He was apparently a brutal man,
488
00:28:08,566 --> 00:28:12,300
and he was sent to Shanghai
to convince the Japanese
489
00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:15,466
to impose the Final Solution
of the Jewish problem on us,
490
00:28:15,566 --> 00:28:17,133
meaning to kill us.
491
00:28:17,233 --> 00:28:19,900
They had said
the most efficient way
492
00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:22,033
of liquidating our community
493
00:28:22,133 --> 00:28:25,266
was to put us on a bunch
of rickety old junks,
494
00:28:25,366 --> 00:28:28,366
tow us out to the Yellow Ocean,
and sink us.
495
00:28:28,466 --> 00:28:33,200
To their credit, the Japanese
simply refused to do that.
496
00:28:33,300 --> 00:28:35,033
We would all
have been killed,
497
00:28:35,133 --> 00:28:37,100
and the fact
that that didn't happen,
498
00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:41,166
the fact that we were spared
that fate
499
00:28:41,266 --> 00:28:44,533
was one of the closest calls,
in retrospect,
500
00:28:44,633 --> 00:28:47,466
that I'm very grateful
to have escaped.
501
00:28:47,566 --> 00:28:50,300
In February of 1943,
502
00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:54,533
suddenly, without any warning,
503
00:28:54,633 --> 00:28:57,333
there appears in the newspapers
a proclamation which says
504
00:28:57,433 --> 00:29:02,300
that in 90 days, you have to
give up where you live and move
505
00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:07,366
to the worst part of town,
half destroyed during the war.
506
00:29:07,466 --> 00:29:09,766
The Japanese guy came in,
507
00:29:09,866 --> 00:29:11,933
he slapped my dad, and said,
508
00:29:12,033 --> 00:29:13,800
"Out by tomorrow."
509
00:29:13,900 --> 00:29:16,400
As a compromise
measure, the Japanese say,
510
00:29:16,500 --> 00:29:17,900
"We'll put them in a ghetto.
511
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:21,533
We'll put them in a
1-square-mile area of Hongkou."
512
00:29:24,733 --> 00:29:28,333
Maybe half the Jews were living
in other parts of Shanghai,
513
00:29:28,433 --> 00:29:30,700
and they were all ordered
to abandon their apartments,
514
00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:35,633
abandon their belongings,
and trudge over to this ghetto,
515
00:29:35,733 --> 00:29:39,600
which was monitored
by Japanese guards,
516
00:29:39,700 --> 00:29:43,233
which was adding another
10,000 people to a community
517
00:29:43,333 --> 00:29:45,533
that was already filled,
overflowing.
518
00:29:45,633 --> 00:29:48,733
You're essentially doubling
the population of Jews.
519
00:29:50,833 --> 00:29:54,900
The room was like maybe
15 feet by 5 feet long,
520
00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,666
for the three of us.
It had one window.
521
00:29:57,766 --> 00:30:00,966
But we lived there, my father,
my mother, and I,
522
00:30:01,066 --> 00:30:02,866
for six or seven years.
523
00:30:02,966 --> 00:30:04,000
It's...
524
00:30:05,766 --> 00:30:08,342
- Where we wound up, it was a room.
- Where we wound up, it was a room.
525
00:30:08,366 --> 00:30:11,333
With 14 people sleeping there.
526
00:30:11,433 --> 00:30:14,833
We put, like, blankets
on the sides of our bed,
527
00:30:14,933 --> 00:30:17,600
undressed and dressed in bed
528
00:30:17,700 --> 00:30:19,600
because there was
no other space.
529
00:30:19,700 --> 00:30:22,566
We had a small table
in front of the bed,
530
00:30:22,666 --> 00:30:25,333
and that's where
we took our meals.
531
00:30:25,433 --> 00:30:27,133
They appointed
a civil servant
532
00:30:27,233 --> 00:30:30,166
by the name of Ghoya...
Mr. Kanoh Ghoya,
533
00:30:30,266 --> 00:30:33,133
who was the chief
administrator of the ghetto.
534
00:30:33,233 --> 00:30:35,300
And Ghoya said,
"Napoleon, he was a great man,
535
00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:36,733
but I'm a greater one.
536
00:30:36,833 --> 00:30:38,666
I am the emperor of the Jews."
537
00:30:38,766 --> 00:30:40,966
He was a nutcase!
538
00:30:41,066 --> 00:30:43,200
The guy was very short
539
00:30:43,300 --> 00:30:46,266
and actually, when he wanted
to slap somebody,
540
00:30:46,366 --> 00:30:49,400
had to get up on a chair.
541
00:30:49,500 --> 00:30:51,566
If you wanted to go
out of the area
542
00:30:51,666 --> 00:30:55,766
to work or do anything,
you had to get by the Japanese.
543
00:30:55,866 --> 00:30:58,566
Mr. Ghoya, who was
the worst of the worst...
544
00:30:58,666 --> 00:31:00,233
If you didn't have
the right papers,
545
00:31:00,333 --> 00:31:03,700
he could stand on the corner
with his bayonet
546
00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,833
and do whatever the heck
he wanted to do.
547
00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,733
Hongkou was
bordering on despair,
548
00:31:13,833 --> 00:31:17,733
and "hysteria"
was putting it mildly.
549
00:31:17,833 --> 00:31:21,733
It took me a long time
to go to sleep that night.
550
00:31:21,833 --> 00:31:24,366
There was so much
to worry about.
551
00:31:26,466 --> 00:31:27,900
There was
so much poverty,
552
00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,000
people getting sick,
553
00:31:30,100 --> 00:31:33,666
people dying
of all these rare diseases.
554
00:31:33,766 --> 00:31:36,700
You'd see someone that you would
see on a regular basis,
555
00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:38,166
and the next day,
they were gone.
556
00:31:38,266 --> 00:31:39,800
They died because they got ill,
557
00:31:39,900 --> 00:31:42,166
they didn't have enough food,
they had dysentery.
558
00:31:42,266 --> 00:31:44,000
It was... It was just dreadful.
559
00:31:44,100 --> 00:31:46,300
And a lot of Europeans
died, as well,
560
00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:48,666
especially the elderly.
561
00:31:48,766 --> 00:31:52,666
They were two large
Jewish cemeteries in Shanghai
562
00:31:52,766 --> 00:31:55,300
with people who passed away.
563
00:31:58,833 --> 00:32:00,600
For over
a quarter century,
564
00:32:00,700 --> 00:32:02,166
The Joint Distribution Committee
565
00:32:02,266 --> 00:32:05,266
has been the main American
source of preserving
566
00:32:05,366 --> 00:32:08,266
and protecting Jewish life
and traditions abroad
567
00:32:08,366 --> 00:32:11,700
wherever and whenever they have
been jeopardized
568
00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:15,533
by misfortune,
disaster, or injustice.
569
00:32:15,633 --> 00:32:17,233
The American Joint
Distribution Committee
570
00:32:17,300 --> 00:32:18,866
was the main organization
571
00:32:18,966 --> 00:32:21,666
trying to deal
with a worldwide refugee crisis
572
00:32:21,766 --> 00:32:23,233
as Jews were fleeing Europe.
573
00:32:23,333 --> 00:32:26,300
There are tens of thousands
of refugees in Shanghai.
574
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,300
The crisis has become so big,
575
00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:31,533
the Joint finally decides
that it has to do something.
576
00:32:31,633 --> 00:32:34,366
And they go to a woman
named Laura Margolis,
577
00:32:34,466 --> 00:32:36,900
who is a representative
of the American Jewish.
578
00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:38,333
Joint Distribution Committee,
579
00:32:38,433 --> 00:32:41,066
to try to help the refugees.
580
00:32:41,166 --> 00:32:43,900
She was in Cuba
when theSt. Louis,
581
00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:46,833
which was a ship
carrying European refugees,
582
00:32:46,933 --> 00:32:51,100
had tried to enter Cuba
and been turned away.
583
00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:54,000
And then it went to America
and was turned away,
584
00:32:54,100 --> 00:32:55,500
returned to Europe,
585
00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:58,633
and presumably some of
the refugees were killed.
586
00:33:01,633 --> 00:33:04,466
And she swore to herself
at that point in Cuba
587
00:33:04,566 --> 00:33:08,042
- that if she ever had the chance to help refugees,
- that if she ever had the chance to help refugees,
588
00:33:08,066 --> 00:33:09,800
She would do whatever she could
to make sure
589
00:33:09,900 --> 00:33:12,000
that tragedy wasn't repeated.
590
00:33:12,100 --> 00:33:14,933
She arranges to meet
Captain Inuzuka,
591
00:33:15,033 --> 00:33:18,600
the anti-Semitic captain who's
in charge of Jews in Shanghai.
592
00:33:18,700 --> 00:33:21,200
And she says to him,
"If there isn't enough food,
593
00:33:21,300 --> 00:33:23,500
these refugees are going
to start to riot,
594
00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:25,033
and that will be dangerous
for you
595
00:33:25,133 --> 00:33:27,000
and dangerous
for the Japanese.
596
00:33:27,100 --> 00:33:30,366
I'm completely apolitical.
Let me help them."
597
00:33:30,466 --> 00:33:32,700
So Inuzuka agrees.
598
00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:35,866
She's able to start getting
more food to the refugees,
599
00:33:35,966 --> 00:33:37,266
more housing.
600
00:33:37,366 --> 00:33:41,066
They bought
these huge, like, warehouses
601
00:33:41,166 --> 00:33:44,300
that were called Heime.
602
00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:49,900
And Laura Margolis was able
to get $100,000, US dollars,
603
00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:53,233
to bring to the Japanese
in that time.
604
00:33:53,333 --> 00:33:56,500
And with that money,
we spent to get a hospital.
605
00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:58,800
200-bed hospital.
606
00:33:58,900 --> 00:34:00,900
I was a secretary.
607
00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:03,400
I was extremely happy
608
00:34:03,500 --> 00:34:05,466
to be working in a hospital
609
00:34:05,566 --> 00:34:08,033
because I saw people
were being helped.
610
00:34:08,133 --> 00:34:11,833
The JDC set up
a kitchen
611
00:34:11,933 --> 00:34:13,666
which made it possible
612
00:34:13,766 --> 00:34:17,933
for everyone to have
at least one meal a day,
613
00:34:18,033 --> 00:34:21,200
which kept people alive.
614
00:34:21,300 --> 00:34:23,500
Laura Margolis is...
615
00:34:26,966 --> 00:34:28,533
...a saint.
616
00:34:37,866 --> 00:34:39,433
Even though
it was war years,
617
00:34:39,533 --> 00:34:42,433
life started picking up,
618
00:34:42,533 --> 00:34:46,000
and people tried to re-create
a little Europe.
619
00:34:48,900 --> 00:34:52,100
They begin to build their own
independent communities
620
00:34:52,200 --> 00:34:56,600
with German newspapers
and German cafés and orchestras.
621
00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:04,766
One of the things that
my father did with other artists
622
00:35:04,866 --> 00:35:07,966
was create these art shows
to show their art
623
00:35:08,066 --> 00:35:11,366
and re-create their culture,
if you will, in Shanghai.
624
00:35:11,466 --> 00:35:14,900
It's very important
to have some culture
625
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,533
so that you don't feel
626
00:35:16,633 --> 00:35:19,200
even though you physically
are alive,
627
00:35:19,300 --> 00:35:21,466
but your mind has gone dead
628
00:35:21,566 --> 00:35:25,366
and you've lost everything
that you've always had.
629
00:35:25,466 --> 00:35:27,400
Community action
630
00:35:27,500 --> 00:35:30,566
can make an enormous amount
of difference.
631
00:35:30,666 --> 00:35:34,133
And that's what happened
when we were finally locked up
632
00:35:34,233 --> 00:35:37,033
by the Japanese
in a kind of a ghetto.
633
00:35:37,133 --> 00:35:38,933
The energy of adversity
634
00:35:39,033 --> 00:35:42,566
ended up in some kind
of creativity, even,
635
00:35:42,666 --> 00:35:46,566
and that helped
the people to survive.
636
00:35:58,300 --> 00:36:00,533
We lived
in a Chinese lane,
637
00:36:00,633 --> 00:36:04,033
and we were the only family
that came from Europe.
638
00:36:04,133 --> 00:36:06,909
- And in the lane lived a gentleman.
- And in the lane lived a gentleman.
639
00:36:06,933 --> 00:36:08,966
By the name of Mr. Chu.
640
00:36:09,066 --> 00:36:13,100
He really took a liking to me
and kind of adopted me.
641
00:36:49,033 --> 00:36:51,933
My father became
so close to Mr. Chu,
642
00:36:52,033 --> 00:36:54,400
it was almost like
they were brothers.
643
00:36:54,500 --> 00:36:56,966
And they shared the same values.
644
00:36:57,066 --> 00:37:00,666
A sense of family was
very important to both,
645
00:37:00,766 --> 00:37:04,233
so any differences
just melted away.
646
00:37:04,333 --> 00:37:07,500
Later on, when I started school,
647
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:09,500
he arranged
for a rickshaw for me
648
00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:11,066
to be picked up every morning.
649
00:37:28,500 --> 00:37:32,000
His daughter,
who is my little sister,
650
00:37:32,100 --> 00:37:34,700
only spoke Chinese,
so what choice did I have...
651
00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:38,366
I had to learn Shanghainese.
652
00:37:38,466 --> 00:37:40,033
When I think about Mr. Chu,
653
00:37:40,133 --> 00:37:43,300
you can see the tears
just swell up in my eyes.
654
00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:47,366
And it still...
After all these years,
655
00:37:47,466 --> 00:37:51,100
I still have
that connection to him.
656
00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:54,433
It's... It's just feeling
protected again,
657
00:37:54,533 --> 00:37:57,633
feeling loved,
feeling cared about.
658
00:37:57,733 --> 00:38:01,500
So he's a very, very
special person in my heart.
659
00:38:04,633 --> 00:38:10,866
The winter of 1944 seems
longer, darker, and tougher.
660
00:38:10,966 --> 00:38:13,533
Perhaps the length
of our confinement,
661
00:38:13,633 --> 00:38:15,200
the endless war
662
00:38:15,300 --> 00:38:17,166
made the cold colder,
663
00:38:17,266 --> 00:38:18,666
the rain wetter,
664
00:38:18,766 --> 00:38:20,800
and made us less agreeable.
665
00:38:22,866 --> 00:38:26,733
One of the things
that people would say was,
666
00:38:26,833 --> 00:38:28,400
"How are you today?"
667
00:38:28,500 --> 00:38:31,500
And the other person would say,
668
00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:35,833
"Well, we're one day closer
to the end of the war."
669
00:38:35,933 --> 00:38:39,000
And that was a favorite saying.
670
00:38:39,100 --> 00:38:42,166
"One day closer
to the end of the war."
671
00:38:56,166 --> 00:39:01,933
On July 17, 1945,
the ghetto was bombed.
672
00:39:02,033 --> 00:39:05,266
And we were stunned.
673
00:39:05,366 --> 00:39:06,966
- We were in school,
- We were in school,
674
00:39:07,033 --> 00:39:11,033
And we went under our desks
for protection.
675
00:39:11,133 --> 00:39:15,500
My mom, she had to
deliver a dress to somebody,
676
00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:19,366
and there was a Chinese man
who ran out, grabbed her arm,
677
00:39:19,466 --> 00:39:24,733
and made her come into the store
and go under the counter.
678
00:39:24,833 --> 00:39:27,200
He really saved her life.
679
00:39:30,166 --> 00:39:32,166
When the Americans
liberated Shanghai,
680
00:39:32,266 --> 00:39:35,033
they were trying
to obliterate an area
681
00:39:35,133 --> 00:39:38,633
that the Japanese had occupied.
682
00:39:38,733 --> 00:39:41,500
The bomb dropped
right into the ghetto.
683
00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:44,000
The building it hit
was right next to
684
00:39:44,100 --> 00:39:47,400
a Japanese radio station
which was transmitting,
685
00:39:47,500 --> 00:39:50,700
and the Americans wanted
to hit that radio station.
686
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:53,200
In doing that, they also hit
that compound
687
00:39:53,300 --> 00:39:55,566
where there were
a lot of Jews living.
688
00:39:55,666 --> 00:39:57,100
And I remember
my father saying
689
00:39:57,200 --> 00:39:58,600
that as he walked along
the street,
690
00:39:58,700 --> 00:40:00,966
one of the houses
which had been bombed,
691
00:40:01,066 --> 00:40:05,000
he recognized from the legs that
one of the rubble was a refugee.
692
00:40:05,100 --> 00:40:09,800
So they pulled out the corpse of
a refugee who had been killed.
693
00:40:09,900 --> 00:40:12,700
After that, we suddenly realized
694
00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:17,033
that liberation
would not be easy.
695
00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:33,033
And then one morning,
696
00:40:33,133 --> 00:40:38,033
I'll never forget
the incredible puzzlement,
697
00:40:38,133 --> 00:40:41,700
because the Japanese
occupying forces
698
00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:43,866
simply vanished.
699
00:40:43,966 --> 00:40:46,500
My father came home
and he said, "The war is over,"
700
00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:49,500
and I just chucked up.
701
00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:55,200
And nobody believed it until
we saw planes flying across
702
00:40:55,300 --> 00:40:59,333
and little leaflets
falling down.
703
00:40:59,433 --> 00:41:02,600
That was an unbelievable day.
704
00:41:02,700 --> 00:41:05,966
Whether it was German Jews
or Chinese,
705
00:41:06,066 --> 00:41:09,500
everybody was out
on the streets.
706
00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:11,533
Vast throngs
of grateful, happy people
707
00:41:11,633 --> 00:41:13,366
celebrate the end of fighting,
708
00:41:13,466 --> 00:41:14,933
the dawn of peace.
709
00:41:15,033 --> 00:41:16,833
It's official... it's all over.
710
00:41:16,933 --> 00:41:18,933
It's total victory.
711
00:41:25,033 --> 00:41:27,033
The war was over.
712
00:41:27,133 --> 00:41:29,533
Now what?
713
00:41:29,633 --> 00:41:31,166
Now what?
714
00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:34,700
We had no idea.
715
00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:37,500
We had no idea
of concentration camps.
716
00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:39,966
We had no idea
how brutal it had become.
717
00:41:40,066 --> 00:41:42,133
We all guessed that some
of our relatives
718
00:41:42,233 --> 00:41:44,133
probably didn't make it,
719
00:41:44,233 --> 00:41:48,100
but no one had any idea about
the enormity of the Holocaust.
720
00:41:51,566 --> 00:41:54,800
When we heard about it,
721
00:41:54,900 --> 00:41:57,800
horror sort of rattled
through the Jewish community.
722
00:42:07,966 --> 00:42:11,200
And every day,
people would go and look
723
00:42:11,300 --> 00:42:15,133
and see what new names
were coming down,
724
00:42:15,233 --> 00:42:18,266
to find the people
who had survived.
725
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:24,233
My father's brother was killed.
726
00:42:24,333 --> 00:42:26,833
My father's other brother,
they were gassed.
727
00:42:26,933 --> 00:42:30,366
So if we had been there,
I think we'd be dead, too.
728
00:42:30,466 --> 00:42:34,600
14 of my aunts, uncles,
or cousins had not survived.
729
00:42:34,700 --> 00:42:36,500
These are people
I had lived with,
730
00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:39,066
I had laughed with,
I'd cried with.
731
00:42:39,166 --> 00:42:40,966
The last time I saw
one of my cousins,
732
00:42:41,066 --> 00:42:42,800
we got into a big fight
733
00:42:42,900 --> 00:42:45,366
and were rolling around
in the dirt.
734
00:42:45,466 --> 00:42:47,833
When we found out
that he did not survive,
735
00:42:47,933 --> 00:42:52,366
I had the sense that the
wrong cousin had perished,
736
00:42:52,466 --> 00:42:54,000
that it had I
who had been deserved
737
00:42:54,100 --> 00:42:56,400
because I had been so brutal
and rough on him.
738
00:42:56,500 --> 00:43:00,000
My father's parents died
at Dachau,
739
00:43:00,100 --> 00:43:04,466
and my mother's father died
at Sachsenhausen.
740
00:43:04,566 --> 00:43:10,766
I've never carried a chip
on my shoulder... why me?
741
00:43:10,866 --> 00:43:14,166
If I ask, "Why me," it's,
"Why me, did I get saved?
742
00:43:14,266 --> 00:43:16,533
And didn't get killed,
743
00:43:16,633 --> 00:43:22,566
and was able to live
in Shanghai and grow up?"
744
00:43:22,666 --> 00:43:25,400
That's the why...
You know, that's the "why me."
745
00:43:27,433 --> 00:43:30,666
Baruch ata Adonai
746
00:43:30,766 --> 00:43:35,500
I had my Bar Mitzvah
in Shanghai in November 1945.
747
00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:40,166
Into the Ohel Moshe wandered
an American soldier.
748
00:43:40,266 --> 00:43:42,633
He was wearing the scrolls
and the Magen David,
749
00:43:42,733 --> 00:43:44,100
and we realized he's a rabbi.
750
00:43:44,200 --> 00:43:48,033
He said, "To find a synagogue,
a service, and a Bar Mitzvah
751
00:43:48,133 --> 00:43:51,700
as deeply steeped in Judaism
as this is,
752
00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:53,666
it's a memorable experience."
753
00:43:53,766 --> 00:43:56,966
And he said, "Now for me, the
words, 'Am Yisrael Chai, '"
754
00:43:57,066 --> 00:43:59,600
which means,
the Jewish people will live,
755
00:43:59,700 --> 00:44:01,533
"will mean something
very specific to me
756
00:44:01,633 --> 00:44:03,966
for the rest of my life."
757
00:44:04,066 --> 00:44:06,633
And everybody cried,
including me, of course.
758
00:44:06,733 --> 00:44:09,433
Our very survival had moved him
759
00:44:09,533 --> 00:44:13,066
as much as we were moved
by him being here.
760
00:44:17,033 --> 00:44:19,133
I didn't hate
the Germans.
761
00:44:19,233 --> 00:44:21,800
I didn't hate the Japanese.
762
00:44:21,900 --> 00:44:24,566
I didn't like
what had been done to us,
763
00:44:24,666 --> 00:44:27,366
that we had been robbed
of our identity,
764
00:44:27,466 --> 00:44:30,000
of living a life of purpose,
765
00:44:30,100 --> 00:44:33,333
of following our star.
766
00:44:33,433 --> 00:44:37,333
Finally, I was free
to follow my star.
767
00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:44,966
So then the big question
started... where do we go?
768
00:44:45,066 --> 00:44:46,500
There were maybe a few people
769
00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:48,900
who would have considered
staying in China,
770
00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:54,366
but the majority took Shanghai
as a waiting place.
771
00:44:54,466 --> 00:44:56,366
We were stateless.
772
00:44:56,466 --> 00:44:58,333
We could have gone back
to Austria right away,
773
00:44:58,433 --> 00:45:01,200
but my mother didn't want
to take us back there.
774
00:45:01,300 --> 00:45:03,000
So, where do we go?
775
00:45:05,333 --> 00:45:08,409
- The Baghdadi Jews return, Victor Sassoon returns,
- The Baghdadi Jews return, Victor Sassoon returns,
776
00:45:08,433 --> 00:45:09,666
The Kadoories return.
777
00:45:09,766 --> 00:45:11,800
Working with the
Joint Distribution Committee,
778
00:45:11,900 --> 00:45:15,066
these wealthy Jewish families
begin to try to figure out
779
00:45:15,166 --> 00:45:16,666
where these families will go.
780
00:45:16,766 --> 00:45:19,233
They can go to America,
they can go to Palestine,
781
00:45:19,333 --> 00:45:20,733
they can go to Australia.
782
00:45:20,833 --> 00:45:22,633
Some go to Latin America.
783
00:45:22,733 --> 00:45:26,966
And so, in the two or three
years after 1945,
784
00:45:27,066 --> 00:45:30,200
all the refugees
just about leave Shanghai
785
00:45:30,300 --> 00:45:31,566
and they board ships
786
00:45:31,666 --> 00:45:34,966
to these various places
to start their new lives.
787
00:45:37,833 --> 00:45:40,966
It was again
a journey into the unknown.
788
00:46:11,566 --> 00:46:12,966
I would like to ask
789
00:46:13,066 --> 00:46:17,633
all first-generation
Shanghailanders to stand.
790
00:46:17,733 --> 00:46:21,100
This is anyone
who lived in Shanghai.
791
00:46:28,833 --> 00:46:33,533
Will all second-generation
Shanghailanders please stand?
792
00:46:40,366 --> 00:46:45,433
Will all third-generation
Shanghailanders please stand?
793
00:46:49,566 --> 00:46:52,766
And do we have
any fourth-generation?
794
00:47:05,633 --> 00:47:06,866
I have
a question for my mom.
795
00:47:06,966 --> 00:47:08,066
Okay.
796
00:47:08,166 --> 00:47:11,266
Do you think back, if Hitler
wouldn't have happened,
797
00:47:11,366 --> 00:47:13,166
how your life
would have been different?
798
00:47:13,266 --> 00:47:15,600
Oh, way different.
For starters,
799
00:47:15,700 --> 00:47:17,700
I would never have met
your father.
800
00:47:19,533 --> 00:47:22,600
I think what I learned
in Shanghai
801
00:47:22,700 --> 00:47:24,233
has taken me
through my life,
802
00:47:24,333 --> 00:47:28,166
because nothing can really
faze me very much.
803
00:47:28,266 --> 00:47:33,833
Because we know what it means
to have absolutely nothing.
804
00:47:33,933 --> 00:47:37,200
My mom and dad, no matter
what was going on in life,
805
00:47:37,300 --> 00:47:39,276
they just always moved forward
and never complained.
806
00:47:39,300 --> 00:47:40,966
Never complained
about anything.
807
00:47:41,066 --> 00:47:42,966
She didn't... I did.
808
00:47:44,233 --> 00:47:46,333
I'm very proud of you
for what you went through
809
00:47:46,433 --> 00:47:48,066
and what you made
of your life.
810
00:47:51,166 --> 00:47:53,100
If I can say something, too?
811
00:47:53,200 --> 00:47:56,766
My mom has taught me
so much in life.
812
00:47:56,866 --> 00:48:01,333
Whenever anything is down,
she brings me right up.
813
00:48:01,433 --> 00:48:04,533
And that's made me,
you know, a tough lady.
814
00:48:04,633 --> 00:48:08,042
- I mean, she is a tough lady to compete with,
- I mean, she is a tough lady to compete with,
815
00:48:08,066 --> 00:48:14,233
But her motto in life is,
"There's always worse things."
816
00:48:14,333 --> 00:48:17,300
Yeah, that's what
she always says.
817
00:48:17,400 --> 00:48:18,666
Thank you, Mom.
818
00:48:18,766 --> 00:48:21,200
Welcome.
819
00:48:21,300 --> 00:48:24,000
I've been able to install that
in you, that's good.
820
00:48:24,100 --> 00:48:27,233
Yes. Yes, you did.
821
00:48:27,333 --> 00:48:30,366
The whole experience
taught me
822
00:48:30,466 --> 00:48:33,733
that nothing is for sure.
823
00:48:33,833 --> 00:48:35,466
Everywhere I live,
824
00:48:35,566 --> 00:48:38,266
I know that any day,
825
00:48:38,366 --> 00:48:41,433
it might not be home anymore.
826
00:48:41,533 --> 00:48:45,400
And it's not that devastating
if it does happen.
827
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:52,733
I always knew that,
at heart, basically,
828
00:48:52,833 --> 00:48:56,500
I was still
Werner Michael Blumenthal,
829
00:48:56,600 --> 00:48:58,366
whether I was
the Secretary of the Treasury
830
00:48:58,466 --> 00:49:00,600
or whether I was
a United States Ambassador
831
00:49:00,700 --> 00:49:04,033
or a CEO or a professor
or whatever.
832
00:49:04,133 --> 00:49:08,433
I always knew, tomorrow,
that could all be gone.
833
00:49:08,533 --> 00:49:11,133
And what's important
is what kind of person I am,
834
00:49:11,233 --> 00:49:12,966
how I conduct myself.
835
00:49:13,066 --> 00:49:14,700
That's one of the
important lessons
836
00:49:14,800 --> 00:49:16,966
that I learned in Shanghai.
837
00:49:17,066 --> 00:49:18,300
When all those are gone,
838
00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:20,866
what kind of a human being
will you be?
839
00:49:20,966 --> 00:49:23,533
Most people think
that in order to be
840
00:49:23,633 --> 00:49:25,166
a Holocaust survivor,
841
00:49:25,266 --> 00:49:27,866
you have to have
a number on your arm
842
00:49:27,966 --> 00:49:32,033
and you have to have spent time
in a concentration camp.
843
00:49:32,133 --> 00:49:34,166
But that's not so.
844
00:49:34,266 --> 00:49:35,166
It was time.
845
00:49:35,266 --> 00:49:37,933
It was time that
I started to speak,
846
00:49:38,033 --> 00:49:41,833
and to talk about
what happened.
847
00:49:41,933 --> 00:49:45,333
I've lost track
of the thousands of students
848
00:49:45,433 --> 00:49:47,466
that I have spoken to.
849
00:49:50,566 --> 00:49:54,800
We live in an age now
where there are people
850
00:49:54,900 --> 00:49:58,266
that need to escape
their countries
851
00:49:58,366 --> 00:50:01,933
because of the horrors
that are going on.
852
00:50:02,033 --> 00:50:06,433
It breaks my heart to see people
trying to come to our country,
853
00:50:06,533 --> 00:50:10,100
that is plentiful,
being turned away.
854
00:50:10,200 --> 00:50:13,466
This never happened to us
when we went to Shanghai.
855
00:50:13,566 --> 00:50:16,266
Shanghai
opened their arms to us.
856
00:50:18,300 --> 00:50:21,300
For me, the Jewish
culture that I grew up with
857
00:50:21,400 --> 00:50:24,500
embodies the importance
of being truthful,
858
00:50:24,600 --> 00:50:29,100
of seeking justice, of doing
what you can to help others.
859
00:50:29,200 --> 00:50:32,766
We all probably have some
elements in ourselves
860
00:50:32,866 --> 00:50:35,833
that could make us,
under other circumstances,
861
00:50:35,933 --> 00:50:37,833
treat people horribly,
862
00:50:37,933 --> 00:50:39,866
which is what makes it
all the more important
863
00:50:39,966 --> 00:50:43,166
to have a structure of law
and a system of rights
864
00:50:43,266 --> 00:50:45,166
and a system of commitments
865
00:50:45,266 --> 00:50:48,233
to the equal human rights
of everybody.
866
00:50:48,333 --> 00:50:51,300
We are one of the lucky people
who had a door open
867
00:50:51,400 --> 00:50:53,800
when so many others
have doors shut.
868
00:50:53,900 --> 00:50:56,400
Opening those doors
is an obligation,
869
00:50:56,500 --> 00:50:58,533
not just an opportunity.
870
00:51:05,066 --> 00:51:06,843
- Lotte!
- Lotte!
871
00:51:09,733 --> 00:51:11,866
Oh, wait a minute.
872
00:51:12,933 --> 00:51:15,000
Yay, I'm so glad
to see you.
873
00:51:17,266 --> 00:51:19,733
Have a seat. Sit down.
874
00:51:19,833 --> 00:51:24,566
Nobody can really imagine
what it was like
875
00:51:24,666 --> 00:51:26,400
for me to meet you
876
00:51:26,500 --> 00:51:29,833
and find out
who your father was.
877
00:51:29,933 --> 00:51:32,866
That was what,
17 years ago, Lotte?
878
00:51:32,966 --> 00:51:36,000
You came here
with your lemon cake,
879
00:51:36,100 --> 00:51:40,666
and I brought out
my passport.
880
00:51:40,766 --> 00:51:42,333
And you opened it up,
881
00:51:42,433 --> 00:51:44,966
and there was
all this Chinese writing.
882
00:51:45,066 --> 00:51:48,533
And you said, "See that number
that's there?
883
00:51:48,633 --> 00:51:52,266
That's the number of visas
my father gave that day."
884
00:51:52,366 --> 00:51:55,266
I figure, at least that day,
they issued...
885
00:51:55,366 --> 00:51:57,933
The Chinese consulate
issued or stamped
886
00:51:58,033 --> 00:52:00,233
at least 100 visas that day.
887
00:52:00,333 --> 00:52:04,000
I was overwhelmed
that after 70 years,
888
00:52:04,100 --> 00:52:06,833
or 60 years...
Yeah.
889
00:52:06,933 --> 00:52:09,166
...my story turned
upside down.
890
00:52:09,266 --> 00:52:11,300
I believed before
that some clerk
891
00:52:11,400 --> 00:52:13,866
had just stamped
this Shanghai visa,
892
00:52:13,966 --> 00:52:19,633
but now I saw that somebody
knew it to save people.
893
00:52:19,733 --> 00:52:21,933
That's totally different.
894
00:52:22,033 --> 00:52:24,300
My father was
never reunited
895
00:52:24,400 --> 00:52:26,600
with any of the people
that he helped.
896
00:52:26,700 --> 00:52:29,033
He was unknown to most of them.
897
00:52:29,133 --> 00:52:32,266
And so when I meet these people,
898
00:52:32,366 --> 00:52:37,466
I feel that my father's efforts
were worth it.
899
00:52:37,566 --> 00:52:40,700
I jokingly call them
mymishpacha,
900
00:52:40,800 --> 00:52:44,200
which in Yiddish
means my family.
901
00:52:44,300 --> 00:52:47,333
It's like a miracle to me,
902
00:52:47,433 --> 00:52:50,300
and you and I have become
very good friends.
903
00:52:50,400 --> 00:52:52,400
And it doesn't change
the darkness,
904
00:52:52,500 --> 00:52:56,000
but it gives light
into the darkness.
905
00:53:12,866 --> 00:53:14,600
- Remember where it is?
- Ah, ah, ah, ah...
906
00:53:14,700 --> 00:53:16,600
Look over here.
You see it?
907
00:53:16,700 --> 00:53:19,033
- Yeah, that's right!
- That's my nana.
908
00:53:19,133 --> 00:53:20,733
That's my nana.
909
00:53:20,833 --> 00:53:24,600
That was her brother.
That's the whole family.
910
00:53:24,700 --> 00:53:26,566
This is the list of all
the people
911
00:53:26,666 --> 00:53:29,466
that were able to come here
912
00:53:29,566 --> 00:53:34,133
when your great-great-grandma
came here.
913
00:53:34,233 --> 00:53:37,000
This miracle occurred
because certain people
914
00:53:37,100 --> 00:53:39,133
stepped up at the right moment.
915
00:53:39,233 --> 00:53:42,466
I think the Baghdadi Jews did,
I think Laura Margolis did,
916
00:53:42,566 --> 00:53:43,966
Ho Feng Shan,
917
00:53:44,066 --> 00:53:46,200
so I think there were
individuals who did it.
918
00:53:46,300 --> 00:53:48,266
But more than that,
this was a place,
919
00:53:48,366 --> 00:53:50,066
the most unexpected of places,
920
00:53:50,166 --> 00:53:53,766
that saved these Jews
when they needed help the most.
921
00:53:57,666 --> 00:53:59,933
Beyond politics,
beyond, you know,
922
00:54:00,033 --> 00:54:03,166
rivalries and economics
and military things,
923
00:54:03,266 --> 00:54:05,833
in the end,
there was a human connection
924
00:54:05,933 --> 00:54:09,642
- that was established between the Chinese and the Jews.
- That was established between the Chinese and the Jews.
925
00:54:09,666 --> 00:54:12,433
And I think that created
a common bond
926
00:54:12,533 --> 00:54:15,933
that you certainly didn't see
anywhere else in the world.
927
00:54:19,533 --> 00:54:23,066
The years fell away
and I saw myself...
928
00:54:23,166 --> 00:54:25,033
I saw the young girl
and her parents
929
00:54:25,133 --> 00:54:29,100
walk off the gangplank
eight years before.
930
00:54:29,200 --> 00:54:32,566
Coolies in sweat-stained rags
were hauling loads,
931
00:54:32,666 --> 00:54:36,100
children shrieked and chased
each other on the docks.
932
00:54:36,200 --> 00:54:38,100
It hadn't changed.
933
00:54:38,200 --> 00:54:40,533
And as I looked at the city
that had sheltered us
934
00:54:40,633 --> 00:54:43,100
from the horrors
of Hitler's war,
935
00:54:43,200 --> 00:54:46,233
all I saw in front of me
was a fine city
936
00:54:46,333 --> 00:54:50,333
bathed in sunlight
under a China-blue sky.
937
00:54:50,433 --> 00:54:54,933
I saw dainty Chinese ladies
in long silken gowns
938
00:54:55,033 --> 00:54:57,600
strolling
in beautiful gardens.
939
00:55:56,933 --> 00:56:04,933
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