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IN SHANGHAI It seems that every time yours truly drives to temple on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, from a religious point of view I should not do, I find that the atmosphere associated with the High Holiday days that we experienced in Shanghai, is not there. Most of the inhabitants in large cosmopolitan cities, including some well assimilated Jews, attend their normal business during the Days of Awe. In spite that Jewish refugees in Shanghai were living in a period of uncertainty, compounded with inadequate housing and sometimes with hunger, they knew when the High Holidays were approaching and did their best to observe them (this, of course, is not to say that non-observing Jews, then or today, possess less character.) Those of the Jewish faith that made up the larger percentage of refugees, made their way through the streets of Hongkew, crowded with coolies, street vendors, and Chinese children at play, to attend High Holiday services in theaters, schools and the Heime. One could see the gathering of congregants in front of every cinema house in Hongkew, after and during the services. Especially noteworthy was the Shanghai Jewish Youth Community Center which meticulously observed all the Jewish holidays. A drawing depicting Rosh Hashanah is shown on the cover- page of their monthly journal, “Future. “It was published in 1947 (5708), the year many refugees began to emigrate to the United States. A few thoughts and comments about the High Holidays by its members were published in that particular journal, illustrated in figure two and figure three. The community center, established with the help of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJJDC,) under the direction of Charles Jordan, came into being as a religious, cultural, social, and sports institution for the youth of Shanghai Hongkew. May this Year, 5765 be a Time of Joy and Happiness
For all Shanghailanders A Time of Peace for the World
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