Zuflucht in Shanghai – the Port of Last Resort (John Zorn) DVD – John Zorn 

In the years 1938-41 nearly 20 000 European Jewish refugees fled to Shanghai China where most would spend almost a decade in exile. The emigration to Shanghai was for most refugees a last resort to find a safe haven at a time when borders around the world were closed to the desperate Jews of Europe.The little-known story of the Jewish refugees in Shanghai is presented through the recollections of four former refugees – Fred Fields Ernest Heppner Illo Heppner and Siegmar Simon – and through a collage of evocative archival materials: personal and published writings by refugees relief reports and secret documents illustrated with rare home movies photographs newsreels and propaganda films.This remarkable archival material reveals a lost world – when Shanghai was the Far East’s most illustrious city. Extraordinary images of refugees and uncommon views of Chinese life create a compelling vantage point for understanding and experiencing this story of survival.