Tours of Jewish Shanghai

The tour starts at the Peace Hotel on Shanghai's Bund riverfront, formerly called the Cathay Hotel and built by Sir Victor Sassoon. From this location, the guide discusses the Baghdadi-Jewish legacy while you take in views of the city skyline. The group then travels to the Hongkou district, historically known as the Shanghai Ghetto. Here, the guide leads visits to the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum (Ohel Moshe Synagogue) and a monument in Huoshan Park. The tour continues through the district’s back lanes, including a stop at a Chinese home that once sheltered Jewish refugees. Throughout, the guide covers the cultural and commercial contributions of Russian Jewish immigrants around 1900 and the Jewish experience in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation of World War II. The tour lasts about four hours and is led by an expert with deep knowledge of Jewish history in Shanghai.

Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum

Located in the Hongkou district, the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum is housed in the Ohel Moshe Synagogue. This site is a key stop on the tour, where the guide provides detailed explanations of the Jewish community’s presence in Shanghai. Nearby, the monument in Huoshan Park commemorates the refugees. Visitors also see surrounding streets and a traditional Chinese home that sheltered Jewish refugees during difficult times. The museum visit is part of the broader four-hour tour that examines three waves of Jewish immigration and the community’s experiences during the 20th century.