Fu Shou Yuan Establishes the First Jewish Memorial in Shanghai

Jun 03, 2015 20:50 JST

Source: Fu Shou Yuan International Group Limited

Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Anti-Fascist War Victory Preserve Historical Memories

HONG KONG, Jun 03, 2015 - (ACN Newswire) - Fu Shou Yuan International Group Limited (Stock code: 1448.HK), the largest provider of death care services in the PRC, is pleased to announce that the Group has collaborated with the Shanghai Jewish Community to establish the first Jewish Memorial in Shanghai Fu Shou Yuan."Law and Society: The Jews of Shanghai - In Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary for the Survival of the Jews Refugees in Shanghai" International Colloquium was held in Shanghai on June 3, 2015. Maurice Ohana, the President of Shanghai Jewish Community authorized Professor Pan Guang, the Director of the Center of Jewish Studies Shanghai, to announce that the first Jewish Memorial is going to be constructed in Shanghai Fu Shou Yuan.

Fu Shou Yuan Establishes the First Jewish Memorial in Shanghai

The Memorial, to be completed and opened in September this year, would be one of the highlights of this year's commemoration events for the 70th anniversary of the Anti-Fascist War Victory. The to-be constructed Jewish Memorial is an anti-war memorial to peace and reconciliation. It will record in full length the development history and achievements of the Jewish Community in Shanghai. Symbolizing the enduring friendship between the two populations, it will preserve the historical records and allows future generation to pay tribute. Once completed, it will become Shanghai's and Eastern China's only comprehensive monumental display of modern and contemporary relationship between Jews and Chinese.

Shanghai - "Hometown" of the Jews
70 years ago, during the height of Nazi's persecution, the whole "civilized world" shut out the Jews; Shanghai was the only city opened its doors and arms to do whatever it took to help relief Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust. By early 1940s, the total number of Jews in Shanghai reached 30,000.

Mr. Ilan Maor, the Consulate General of Israel in Shanghai, said "Shanghai was a very unique city. It was the only city that required no visa or any official documents for entry during World War II. During that time, Shanghai accepted around 20,000 Jewish refugees escaping from the Holocaust, opening its door and arms to the suffering souls. It was a safe haven; some of the refugees even stayed for many years after the end of the war." Nowadays, although the "Shanghai Jews" and their descendants are scattering around the world, they still treat Shanghai as their "hometown". At the same time, many Jewish people are active in various fields in Shanghai, contributing outstanding strength for significantly Shanghai's economic and cultural development and prosperity. The friendship between the Jews and Chinese has never stopped, and remains robust and enduring.

Memorial Site to be Built at Fu Shou Yuan and Developed Sustainably by Newly-Established Culture Fund
On March 22, 2015, Professor Pan Guang and President Maurice Ohana visited Shanghai Fu Shou Yuan and discussed issues about the building of the Jewish Memorial (see photo). The two sides reached a consensus on the cultural significance of "recording urban history and promoting international friendship". To reach this end, Fu Shou Yuan International Group has especially incorporated this project into the group's charity program in order to give maximum land support and to fill funding shortfall other than the construction costs borne by the primary contributors of the project (Shanghai Jewish Community).

Fu Shou Yuan International Group Limited and Shanghai Jewish Community will jointly establish a "Jewish Culture Fund" to maintain basic infrastructure of the memorial, finance its future expansions and developments, as well as support Jewish-Chinese cultural exchanges, academic researches and other relevant activities. This fund will be either linked up to a municipal foundation or registered independently. Besides, a constitution will be prepared and a board will be established for its management and operation. It will also establish an advisory board and academic committees to take in social resources and funds at all levels, and jointly preserve this precious historical memories between the two cultures.

Design Draft Available for Comment: Star of David Signifying Misery and Hope
Currently, the design and planning team of Fu Shou Yuan has published the design draft of the Jewish memorial (see photo) for comments and suggestions from all over the world. The theme of the design draft is "Destination of Memory" and an area of 300 square meters will be reserved for the Memorial. The team used the sign of Jewish culture - Star of David - as design element, which displays the history of "sadness and joy, suffering and hope" in that period. The Memorial will incorporate commemoration and landscaping features, allowing visitors to find memory of people and happenings at the time.

The Jewish Memorial will be divided into two parts: "Memorial Square" and "Stele Garden". Through the landscaping walls, stone sculptures, memorial wall, celebrity sculptures and other features, Memorial Square will present the history and contribution of Jews in Shanghai since the 19th century. The Stele Garden will use old headstones of Jewish tombs found in Shanghai as the main display, projecting the meaning of a "destination" to the memorial. According to Professor Pan Guang, in the beginning of China's liberation in early 1940s, Shanghai had a total of four Jewish cemeteries with about 3,700 tombstones. They were located in today's Huimin Road, Dinghaigang Road, North Huangpi Road and Panyu Road. The tombstones were severely damaged during the Cultural Revolution and scattered around. They are hard to find now. Thus, the Jewish Memorial will make appeals to the local communities to collect any remaining old Jewish gravestones in Shanghai and will seek information and assistance from the Shanghai Jewish Community.

Ms. Yi Hua, Deputy General Manager of Fu Shou Yuan International Group Limited, said: "We are very honored to collaborate with Shanghai Jewish Community. This opportunity is not only a high recognition of Fu Shou Yuan, but also a huge boost of the image of the death care industry. 'Cherishing city memories' is one of the missions of Shanghai Fu Shou Yuan. As early as 2012, the company has conceptualized the idea of recording this special historical period and establishing a memorial park in Shanghai for the Jews. We will seize the great opportunity and bear the philosophy of "Helping people to seek warmth and strength from the past life memories and create beautiful and happy life through humanism memorial". We insist on humanity memorial and will continually support history and cultural preservation. We will adhere to promote the healthy and sustainable development of death care services with our professional service, team and management; as well as recording urban history and promoting international friendship.

Source: Fu Shou Yuan International Group Limited
Sectors: Daily Finance