“Strange Haven: A Jewish Childhood in Wartime Shanghai”

“Strange Haven: A Jewish Childhood in Wartime Shanghai” on Sunday, August 21 at 7pm at Congregation Shaara Tfille (discussion with author Sigmund Tobias This poignant memoir describes Jewish refugees living in Shanghai during World War II. Richly detailed, it opens a little-documented chapter of the Holocaust and provides a fascinating glimpse of life for these foreigners. In the wake of Kristallnacht, November 9, 1938, Sigmund Tobias and his parents fled Germany and relocated to one of the few cities that offered shelter without requiring a visa -- Shanghai. Seventeen thousand Jewish refugees flocked to Hongkew, a section of Shanghai ruled by the Japanese, and created an active community that continued to exist through the end of the war. In this exotic sanctuary, Sigmund’s coming-of-age story unfolds within his descriptions of Jewish life. Depleted by disease and hunger, constantly struggling with primitive and crowded conditions, the refugees faced shortages of food, clothing, and medicine. He also observes the under belly of Shanghai, the brutal lives of the Chinese workers, the tensions between Chinese and Japanese and the approach of the communist "liberators" afterward. Sigmund Tobias is an Eminent Research Professor in the Department of Educational & Counseling Psychology at University at Albany. He immigrated to the US in 1948 and completed his BA and MS in School Psychology from the City College of New York, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. Q & A with Sigmund Tobias to follow. Reservations and $5 Donation requested with refreshments. For more information, 584-2370 or saratogajcc@albany.twcbc.com The evening is part of the 2016 5th Annual Saratoga Jewish Cultural Festival which include family-oriented, fun-filled events intended to foster community, enhance Jewish identity and raise awareness of Jewish cultural arts. Open to the public, their event is sponsored by a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Northeastern NY.