A Foreword

 to 'Memories'

By

Ralph Harpuder

Now that everyone that went to the 20006 Shanghai Reunion is back from this rather emotional and enjoyable trip, let us turn back the pages again to the years 1940 to 1949 and try to put it all together.

Thanks to a well written report by Julius Lowenstein which yours truly recently discovered, we can learn in a “nutshell” without reading a large volume, how our lives compare today to those sixty-six years ago. I have tried to keep the report in the same context as it was thought of and remembered by Mr. Lowenstein, however, I have supplemented in italics a few words of my own about my personal recollections from those crazy days in the Shanghai Ghetto. In addition, I have included a few photographs, advertisements, and documents to help recall more vividly not only the hard times but also some of the more halcyon we theShanghailanders experienced in those trying days. Reference to my late stepfather, Victor Stummer, was made several times where it was appropriate in the report since many of my childhood fondest memories revolved around him.

On behalf of the author, yours truly apologizes for any inaccuracies that may appear in this report including dates, figures, and time frames.

Bob Mueller, who was a Shanghailander himself, responded to my query on the Rickshaw Website “chatterbox” that asked whether anyone remembered Julius Lowenstein who wrote this interesting report about Shanghai. He promptly replied stating that he did not know him personally very well, but that he remembered Julius as being a member of the "East Bay Friends", a group of emigrants from Shanghai in the East Bay area in Oakland. Bob also stated in his reply that Lowenstein was sort of a documenter but did not know where to look for more of his material. He thinks that Lowenstein passed away about 15 Years ago.

The report tells us from its context that it was written by Julius Lowenstein almost immediately after he arrived in the States, when most of the things he experienced in Shanghai were still fresh in his memory.

Continue with Memories - click here