Safe Haven: My Family’s Escape from Nazi Germany to Shanghai
Henry Tischler, a sociology professor, recounted his family's escape from Nazi Germany after Kristallnacht, ultimately finding refuge in Shanghai, which uniquely lacked passport control when most countries had closed their borders to Jewish refugees. Despite enduring harsh conditions in the overcrowded Hongkou Ghetto and facing disease and deprivation, his family survived until the end of World War II, after which they struggled to emigrate and start anew in the United States. Tischler’s story highlights both the resilience of displaced persons and the broader contributions of Shanghai’s Jewish refugees to American society.
