Linda Mills, President of New York University(Middle)

On September 12th, Linda Mills, President of New York University, visited the Museum. In 2013, Linda visited the Museum for the first time and shared a film made in memory of her mother. When she visited again after eleven years, she saw “a huge change”. During the visit, Linda was particularly interested in the neighborhood stories between the Chinese and the Jews. She read one piece after another for a long time and asked many details.

Linda visiting the Exhibition Hall

Linda finding the names of her three cousins on the Wall of Names

To her surprise, Linda found the names of her three cousins on the Wall of Names who had come to Shanghai from Vienna, Austria, to seek refuge. They were Ellen Berger, Gerry Berger, and Gustav Berger. The three cousins were only two to three years old when they came to Shanghai. Gustav unfortunately died in an accident during his stay in Shanghai. Ellen and Gerry immigrated to the United States after the war, and now all three cousins have passed away. When talking about this, Linda became emotional. She said that she had once interviewed one of the cousins, and still had the interview video and a 20-page oral history document, and she was willing to donate these precious materials to the Museum.

After the visit, Linda received another surprise. “Volunteering at the Museum is very meaningful to me. It gives me the opportunity to come across many stories full of courage, tenacity, and hope.” Director Chen showed a video recorded by Idril, a student who had volunteered in the Museum and is now studying at New York University. Idril shared with Linda the experiences and feelings of her volunteer service at the Museum.