At the beginning of World War II, about 30,000 Jewish refugees fled from Europe to Shanghai. Calling themselves “Shanghailanders”, most settled in the Hongkou District where the local residents kindly offered food and medicine for these displaced people. The Jewish community thrived in the Hongkou. Bakeries, stores, cafes, synagogues, schools, clinics, cemeteries, and even a Jewish newspaper all flourished there.
