Jewish Refugees in Shanghai During World War II

Did you know that Shanghai China became a destination for Jewish refugees escaping the Holocaust during WWII?

It may seem unusual but over 18,000 Jewish people took refuge in this city.

The welcoming people from the modern city of Shanghai, together with the Russian Jewish community that had been established a decade earlier, made the lives of the refugees’ life very comfortable.

However, when the Japanese occupied Shanghai in 1942, the Nazis instructed Japanese troops to force the Jewish population in Shanghai to live in the Shanghai Ghetto. The Jewish population mostly left after the Japanese retreated from China and mostly relocated to other countries. In 1997, a Jewish Refugee Museum was established in Shanghai.

Qiang Fitzgerald will begin the talk by presenting information on this interesting piece of history and Kun Shi, City Director of Xiamen, China will speak about his friendship with a Jewish refugee who recently passed away.

After this riveting talk, we invite attendees to join us at P.F.Chang’s restaurant (766 S. Osprey Ave Sarasota, FL 34236) for a networking social event afterward at 6:15 PM.

About Your Speakers

Qiang Fitzgerald is the founder of Huang & Fitzgerald Consulting (HFC). HFC provides strategic consulting to universities on program and curriculum design with a focus on international students’ career development.

Qiang draws her expertise from over 20 years’ management experience in China and in US, within industries ranging from Retail, Finance, to Higher Education. Before starting the consulting firm, Qiang held management positions in business development, IT project management, marketing, and eCommerce at global firms such as HSBC, and held multiple adjunct faculty positions with various universities.

Qiang now serves on the board of Sister Cities Association of Sarasota as VP for Youth and Education. She also volunteered for 12 years at Upwardly Global, an organization that helps skilled immigrants rebuild their professional careers in the U.S.

Kun Shi was born in China and spent his first 32 years of life there. He is a recent retiree from USF, City Director of Xiamen for SCAS, and volunteer for OLLI-USF and other organizations.

Kun holds a graduate degree in cultural anthropology (from The Ohio State University) and has extensive experience working with K-12 schools and colleges in Ohio and Florida. After retirement from USF, he has worked/volunteered for several organizations including OLLI-USF, Tampa JCC, and Chinese American groups in Tampa Bay. While working for USF, he visited Xiamen twice for work-related conferences.