Tuesday, March 14, 9:00 PM

Northwest Premiere

USA/Austria, 1998, 79 min.

Joan Grossman and Paul Rosdy, Directors

Port of Last Resort

Between 1938 and 1941, when many of the world’s borders were closed to the desperate Jews of Europe, nearly 20,000 refugees fled to the free port of Shanghai, China.  No permits, no visas, and no paperwork were required to enter, so Jewish enclaves in Hongkew – known as “Little Vienna” or “the Paris of the East” – grew into cosmopolitan centers until under Japanese occupation a ghetto was established in 1943. Here, Jewish refugees suffered alongside fellow Chinese. This fascinating, little-known story is told through the recollections of former residents and evocative archival footage, some from Japanese propaganda films.  Renegade composer John Zorn adds an Asian twist to his signature blend of klezmer and jazz.

Special Guests: Rolf Preuss, Henry and Gerda Hass – refugees who escaped to Shanghai.

Cosponsored by NW Yeshiva High School, Video Judaica and the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center

Shown with Vilna (short)

For a list of related readings available at Tree of Life Books and Judaica and through the American Jewish Committee, please visit our SJFF 2000 Reading List.