Safe Harbor: Shanghai Jewish Refugees in World War II -- Exhibit, Screening, and Conference in October 2019

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Safe Harbor: Shanghai Jewish Refugees in World War II
Exhibit, Screening, and Conference in October 2019

September 10, 2019  

WASHINGTON, DC – The Chinese American Museum, a museum currently in development in Washington, DC, announced a special, six-month exhibit and one-day conference focusing on Jewish refugees and “Shanghai-landers” that found safety in Shanghai after fleeing Europe and Russia during World War II.

An interpretive exhibit, “Safe Harbor - Surprising Stories of Shanghai Jewish Refugees in World War II,” will be open for six months, Monday, October 28, 2019 – Friday, May 1, 2020. The installation will highlight the life and challenges of Jews living in the Shanghai ghetto during the brutal Japanese occupation of the city. The exhibit also follows the stories and legacy of immigrants who eventually settled in the United States. The museum is located at 1218 16th St. NW, Washington, DC near Scott Circle.

The museum will screen the documentary film, Above the Drowning Sea, on October 28, 2019, 6:30pm at the University of California Washington Center, next door to the new museum building. Shot in six different countries, the film recounts the courageous intervention of Dr. Feng Shan Ho, the Chinese Consul in Vienna who often defied authorities and the Gestapo to issue exit visas to Jewish refugees. UCDC is located at 1608 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington, DC.

On Thursday, October 31, 2019, a one-day conference features lectures and discussions from historical and cultural experts and personal accounts of Jewish refugees and Shanghai-landers. The one-day event is open to the public, but registration is required. The conference will be held at the Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St. NW, Washington, DC.

The exhibit’s developers have been working directly with the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum in Shanghai, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Jewish Museum of Maryland, among others. The event draws on a number of subject experts on this period of history as well as those who personally lived it. Executive Director, David Uy, said, “This is an opportunity for visitors to get a sneak peak at our museum space. It is also indicative of the kind of cross-cultural themes that we want to tell across the Chinese American story.”

The Safe Harbor exhibit is part of two conferences and two special exhibits in October hosted by the museum. The museum will also display an exhibit related to a Chinese American Women in History conference held October 24-26th.

Registration is required for the conference and documentary at www.ChineseAmericanMuseum.org/safeharbor. Since the museum is currently under development, the public should visit the museum’s web site, www.chineseamericanmuseum.org, for upcoming visitor hours.

The Chinese American Museum Foundation is a non-profit, non-political, non-geopolitical 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to advance the understanding, knowledge, and appreciation of the Chinese American experience by highlighting shared cultural exchanges and stories of the spirit, resilience, and contributions of Chinese Americans throughout our past, present, and future.