Refugee’s ID Card-Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum

This Refugee Identification Card held by Moritz Sachs was issued by the International Committee for Granting Relief to European Refugees (IC) in 1939. In 2010, Moritz's granddaughter Karen Landis visited the museum and donated the identification card.

The number of this ID card was 3063, which registered the personal information of the holder. The address of the IC’s office, which was located on the 2nd floor of 123 Guangdong Road, was displayed on the back of the ID card along with the signature of Paul Komor, the head of the committee.

In 1938, in the wake of the Kristallnacht, Moritz was arrested and sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp. During his internment, his legs were seriously injured in an accident. Unable to work any longer, he was released. In 1939, 71-year-old Moritz fled from Europe and arrived in Shanghai in May on ship, along with his daughter and son-in-law.

During World War II, the IC issued ID cards to every registered Jewish refugee and these ID cards were regarded as valid documents by the Chinese authorities and the Japanese occupation forces. For this reason, many Jewish refugee families were able to settle down in Shanghai and leave Shanghai without a hitch after the war.