Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum

The Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum stands as a powerful testament to human resilience and compassion during one of history's darkest periods. Located in the historic Hongkou District, this museum occupies the former Ohel Moshe Synagogue, which served as the spiritual center for the Jewish refugee community from 1927 to 1949. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, when most countries closed their doors to Jewish refugees, Shanghai remained one of the few places in the world that welcomed them without requiring visas. The museum chronicles the extraordinary journey of these refugees who traveled across continents to find sanctuary in this Chinese port city. Through immersive exhibits, personal artifacts, photographs, and survivor testimonies, visitors can explore how these displaced individuals created vibrant communities, established businesses, maintained their cultural traditions, and formed lasting bonds with their Chinese neighbors despite language barriers and challenging living conditions. The museum not only preserves this little-known chapter of Holocaust history but also celebrates the remarkable coexistence between two very different cultures during a time of global crisis.