Book donation tells tale of Jews in wartime Shanghai

When Kurt Wick returned to Shanghai last year after a long absence and saw his name carved on the wall of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, he knew he had found the ideal home for his huge book collection.

Thanks to his donation of more than 8,000 books on Jewish refugees during World War II, the library has become an important part of the ever-expanding museum, which is expected to reopen within the year, said curator Chen Jian.

Wick, 82, dispatched his massive consignment in late 2019, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 8,000 books arrived in Shanghai in January this year, after a complex three-month journey that started in London where he lives.

Wick's family has an indissoluble bond with Shanghai.

He was born in Vienna in 1937. When he was one and a half years old, his parents took him and his 4-year-old brother to Shanghai to escape the Nazi persecution of Jews in Europe.

The penniless Jewish family brought only a sewing machine with them. Fortunately, the local Jewish traders in Shanghai were willing to support them with food and housing.

In this relatively safe environment, away from the Holocaust, Wick's father restarted his business making handbags and belts, while Wick went to a school launched by Jewish merchants.

During this period, tens of thousands of Jewish refugees moved to Shanghai to escape the Nazi atrocities, mostly settling in an area along the northern part of the Suzhou River.

When the war ended, Wick's family moved to London and he inherited his parents' business. In his spare time, Wick devoted himself to collecting books on Jewish history, including many that recorded the experiences of Jewish refugees in Shanghai during WWII.