Brief information on Ohel Moishe Synagogue
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Leontes [2011-05-23]
Ohel Moishe Synagogue is located in Changyang Road, which is currently called the Jewish Refugees Memorial Hall, and was home to of Shanghai s Jewish ghetto in the 1930s and 40s. It was a religious centre for Jewish refugees during the Second World War, and Jewish youth organizations also had their headquarters in Ohel Moishe Synagogue. It is recognized as keeping the most complete and largest volume of records and materials regarding the Jewish refugee s ghetto.
Ohel Moishe Synagogue is a three-story house built with red bricks with slanting fastigium and white window frames. It was built by Russian Jews fleeing persecution and genocide in Russia and Eastern Europe, and also served as a haven for European Jews, beginning in the 1930s, who were evading Nazi oppression.
After the war, the Jewish communities gradually left the area, but the synagogue has been maintained as a small museum to commemorate their history and life during the War years. Nearby is Huosha Park, where a tablet was erected in memory of the Jewish refugees.
Every day in this museum, the 85- year- old narrator, Wang Faliang, who lived in that area during the war, provides a colorful commentary for the black-and-white photo collection depicting daily life for the 30,000 Jews including academics, writers, doctors, musicians, who flooded into the Hongkou District from Europe.