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August 22, 2015

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Jewish refugees’ cafe to reopen

AN iconic cafe in Hongkou District where Jewish refugees would meet during World War II is to reopen next week.

Zum Weissen Ross’l cafe — better known as the White Horse Cafe — first opened in 1939 on Changyang Road.

It has been rebuilt according to the original blueprint opposite the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, 100 meters from its former location.

Tables and chairs kept from the original cafe, plus some of its beams and other wood features have been used, said Chen Jian, curator of the museum.

The district government-owned cafe will also serve as a stop on an exhibition on Shanghai’s Jewish refugees.

Chen said visitors can sample authentic Jewish food and drink there, though did not give details.

The original three-story wooden and brick structure that combined Western and Eastern architecture was a meeting place and venue for celebrations for nearby Jewish residents.

The owner sold the cafe to a local after the war. It was demolished in 2009 to make way for the city subway.

When an exhibition from the museum went to Australia this year, officials were donated photographs related to the cafe by 96-year-old Kurt Mosberg, son of its founder Rudolf Mosberg.

The Mosbergs founded the cafe, and Kurt Mosberg met his wife there.

The 2015 version will see the first floor used for the cafe. The upper floors will host exhibitions about the history of the cafe and meetings.

Shanghai was home to about 23,000 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. Most lived in the Tilanqiao area of Hongkou.

Meanwhile, the district government is launching an exhibition at the museum, also on Wednesday, to help mark this month’s 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The museum has recreated a typical living room used by Jewish refugees, complete with original furniture.

The district will also renovate and reopen the offices of the Jewish Distribution Center, which helped Jews in the city.




 

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