Recently, Moshe Shem-Tov from Israel found the names of four of his family members on the Wall of Names in the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum and told us about their experiences of taking refuge in Shanghai. Frieda Lubianitzky's family used to live in Danzig (now Gdańsk). During World War II, when the Nazis occupied Danzig, Frieda's daughter and grandson were unfortunately imprisoned in Auschwitz concentration camp and never returned. Frieda could only flee in a hurry with her two sons, Werner and Horst, and came to Shanghai for refuge.

Moshe pointing out the names of his family members on the Wall

The Frieda family spent nine years in Shanghai. Werner and Horst completed their studies in Shanghai and embarked on completely different career paths. The younger brother Horst became a doctor, while the older brother Werner studied civil engineering and later became an architect. Werner also found love in Shanghai and married Gertrude, a Jewish refugee woman.

Marriage certificate of Werner and Gertrude

After the war, Frieda took her sons and daughter-in-law to Israel and later immigrated to Canada. Moshe said that Horst often told their descendants about his experiences in Shanghai, and even after many years, he could still greet Chinese people in Chinese. Horst's family also kept many historical materials related to Shanghai, including Werner's marriage certificate.

“My family was very nostalgist about the past and the experience in Shanghai. They wouldn’t throw away a thing even moving for several times, but I want to donate them to the Museum, so that people can see them. This is the best place for these artifacts,” said Moshe emotionally after the visit.