Written by: Jerry Xiao
You may not notice the dinky facade of red and grey bricks. it’s an old building that rests in tranquility on Changyang Rd. Jerry Li, a student from Grade 11, just paid a visit to Shanghai Jewish Refugees Memorial together with his class and his socials teacher Mr. Milne. He said that the museum is “a little bit dark”. The museum helped everyone experience the ups and downs of the foreign refugees during the late 1930s and early 1940s.
The building used to be a private residence. The idea of turning it into a church was first supported by the local Russian Jews with the will of “building a church for the Jewish people who lived in Shanghai in 1927”. With indoor staircases inserted, the building is separated into three stories. The arching doorways dominate the first floor. There are dozens of exquisite, Jewish style wood-carved windows on the second and third floors. Replicas from that time period is another of the museum’s specialties. Of course, the trip is not merely a visual feast for Mr. Milne and the Grade 11s. According to Mr. Milne, he was lucky enough to have a guide during the trip. “I am so lucky to have met a patient guide this time. She provided plenty of information about that time,” Mr. Milne recalled.
Part of the museum mimicked the structure of the secret chamber in the diary written by Anne Frank, a famous Jewish writer and also a victim of the Holocaust. A lot of items are imitated from the descriptions in her diary. What’s more, a documentary is available for the visitors to have a better understanding about the predicament that struck the Jews at that time. “We watched a short video about the crystal night,” Li stated, “and it helps us learn more about what happened to the Jewish people on that night.” He also favors the “unique” style of furniture and pictures on display which shows the “cursed fate” of the Jews. “The life condition of the Jewish people must be very tough.” he concluded.
History always reminds us of the peace that we enjoy today. “The museum is really a nice place where you can get a full and insightful understanding about the past,” Jayla, a member of Grade 11 said, “and this trip helped us know more about the things that we are studying in Socials 11.” The trip to the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum ended with the flash of a camera, but I bet that the visitors will never forget the things they learned and the pictures and items they saw in the museum, for it brings to life the sufferings of the Jews at that time as well, one of the most unforgettable moments in history.