Greetings the ladies and gentlemen, Lhasla Montgomery again,

thankful and appreciative as ever that you're

tuning in to the China History Podcast.

We're back with part two of this little set course meal

overview of the history of the Jews who found refuge in China

particularly in the first half of the 20th century. I know part one was a little heavy

on the appetizers. I assure you there will be more flunking in this episode.

Last time we looked at the Harbien Jewish community in China and how so many Jews ended up there.

Now these Russian Jews came to escape the persecution during the many pagrams and also during the building of the China Eastern Railway.

These events... building of the China Eastern Railway.

These events busted things wide open at the start of the 20th century

and turned Harbin from an obscure fishing village of no great consequence

to the most important city in all of Manchuria.

Jews also came to Harbin as demobilized soldiers who fought in the Russo-Japanese War.

Then later in 1917, these Russian and Ukrainian Jews, along with their occasional

tormentors, the white Russians, also came in great numbers in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution.

They not only went to Harbin, these Russians also ended up en masse in the French concession in Shanghai.

And as I mentioned, this community of Jews up in the city of Harbin

was a good 30,000 strong at its peak around 1930. You had a common theme throughout the period where Jews live side by side with the local Chinese,

they seem to get unswell. Before we jump into the episode, I wanted to mention something.

Just an anecdote from history, but certainly relevant to what we talked about last time.

Back in 1903, just when the China Eastern Railway began service, the New York Chinatown

...