The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is pleased to announce a new special exhibition, Hidden History: Recounting the Shanghai Jewish Story, that tells the hidden history of Jewish refugees who fled to the free port of Shanghai, China, during the 1930s and 40s.
Iraqi Jews first arrived in Shanghai in the mid-1800s, followed by Russian Jews fleeing pogroms at the turn of the 20th century and German and Austrian Jews escaping the Nazis. Most countries limited or denied entry to Jews during the 1930s, but Shanghai became an unexpected safe haven.
"This rarely told story of Jewish refugees in Shanghai invites visitors to experience what it was like to flee danger and find temporary refuge in a foreign land," said Mary Pat Higgins, Museum president and CEO. "Telling stories such as these and sharing them with the public is central to our mission."
The exhibition presents artifacts, survivor stories, and photographs from American photojournalist Arthur Rothstein, who documented the wartime Shanghai Jewish community in 1946 for the United Nations.
"Featuring over 100 primary source artifacts that bring the refugee story to life, we curated Hidden History to amplify unheard stories and teach the social relevancy of history to inspire change," said Jordanna Gessler, one of the exhibit's co-curators.
"This is an exhibit about immigrants looking for opportunity, refugees fleeing identity-based violence, and a community that worked together to support one another and rescue 20,000 refugees," said Christie Jovanovic, a co-curator.
Andy Smith, director of giving and volunteering at Texas Instruments and executive director of the TI Foundation, which has generously underwritten this exhibition, noted that "Texas Instruments is thrilled to be the presenting sponsor of this special exhibition and continue our partnership with the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum."
"We especially value exhibitions that teach us how to be an upstander, and Hidden History is a timely example. And, as a global company with several sites in China, we are grateful for the opportunity to help bring the story of Jewish refugees in Shanghai to light."
