An Exclusive Refuge: Hong Kong and Jewish Refugees,1937-1940

In the years leading up to the Second World War, Europe experienced an unprecedented refugee crisis. The ascent of Adolf Hitler and the enlargement of Nazi Germany prompted many Jews and other minorities to seek refuge elsewhere. Some escaped to neighbouring countries like France, others to the United States. Some, barred from all routes of safety, journeyed to Shanghai as a last resort. Yet while Shanghai rightly dominates the histories of Jewish refugees in East Asia, its position can only be fully understood by examining less well known port refuges in the region. In 1939 the British colony of Hong Kong was a beacon of stability compared to war-torn China. This talk introduces Hong Kong as an alternative and exclusive refuge – one which facilitated the transmigration of Jewish refugees but accepted very few into the colony.