Shanghai Jewish Site – An intriguing glimpse into Shanghai’s past

The vibrant city of Shanghai is saturated in a rich swath of history that has drawn influences from all over the world. When seeking accommodation, a Shanghai city hotel with a central location is your best bet and the ideal place from which you can soak in the iconic culture gracing the city. Consider the Millennium Hongqiao Hotel Shanghai as a select choice, which offers its guest a prime Shanghai hotel experience with luxury amenities and a central location that will open up pathways of wonder into the city’s intriguing past. Pay a visit to the Shanghai Ghetto, an area steeped in meaning and tragedy as it house 20,000 German Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi persecution in Europe. As WW2 reached its abusive crescendo in Germany, the Jewish population was desperately trying to relocate around the world, but they were running short of places where Jews were accepted, as the US blocked its borders and embassies worldwide closed its doors to them. In desperation, they turned to Shanghai, which did not require a visa for entry at the time and a rush of 20,000 immigrants arrived in Japan-controlled Shanghai under the auspices of the Nazi ally in the east. The refugees were crammed into one of the poorest regions in the city, sometimes 30 individuals were assigned one room partitioned off with curtains. The rooms had no running water, the communal water source was in the kitchen and with the numerous pots to be emptied each morning, one can truly empathize with the plight of the Jews, who had to endure these squalid surroundings for several years before isolationist America finally decided to get involved and liberate the Shanghai from the Nazi regime. These days, the buildings are filled with poor Chinese families and the quality of the ghetto has not changed much. There are several memorials dotting the area to commemorate the area’s past, and a local tour company such as Shanghai Jew can provide you with fascinating walks with an experienced tour guide whose expertise will transport you to the early twentieth century as you tread the same trails of the Jewish refugees who once called the region home.

Angela Fernando is an impassioned travel writer who composes pieces under the pen name Sumaira Narayan. She loves writing about new and exciting places around the world and intends to visit them all someday.

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