On this day, in 1943, the Japanese army established the Shanghai Ghetto, after being pressured to do so by Nazi Germany. Prior to this, Shanghai had been one of the only places in the world where Jewish refugees could go to seek refuge from the Nazis. Refugees could move to Shanghai unconditionally without any papers or visa requirements, as it was considered an “open city.” Once the Japanese occupied Shanghai in 1941, life as a Jewish refugee in the city changed drastically. The Japanese were a

On Hanukkah 1945 - his first after years in the Shanghai Ghetto - Jerry Lindenstraus received a gift he would carry with him for the rest of his life. American soldiers gave each Jewish child an American dollar and a Chanukah greeting card that read: “An American dollar for Chanukah gelt from your ‘big brother’ - An American Jewish Soldier” Reflecting on this gift decades later, Jerry says simply: "It was a great gesture. It meant something." That Jerry has held onto this gift for decades, takin