Religious activities are being carried on steadily in the small Jewish communities which remained in China after the Communist took over, the Jewish Community Council of Shanghai, which coordinates such work throughout China, reported to the Agudas Israel executive here.
The Council’s report, made public today, said four Jewish cemeteries in Shanghai were under care of the Council which also made arrangements to supply matzot for Passover with full cooperation of the Chinese Government. In the towns of Harbin and Tientsin, matzot also are baked for local needs. The report added that services are held daily in the synagogues of the three cities.
The Council revealed in its report that it was issuing “ghetto certificates” to Central European Jews who were imprisoned in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation. These certificates will enable the Jewish recipients to apply for restitution from Austria and West Germany. The certificates include 290 death certificates of internees who died during the Japanese occupation.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
