An Uncommon Journey

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During a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, Deborah Strobin and her brother Ilie Wacs confronted their painful past as refugees in Shanghai's Jewish ghetto. They were shocked to find photos of Deborah as a five-year-old in Japanese war propaganda. From 1938 to 1945, China welcomed 18,000 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany and Austria, while the rest of the world closed its doors. Shanghai, occupied by the Japanese, was unique in accepting Jewish refugees without restrictions, requiring only passage on a ship. Despite the hardships imposed by the Japanese, they resisted German demands to "solve the Jewish problem," allowing the Jewish community to survive intact. This memoir recounts a family's 12-year odyssey across continents during wartime, written by Deborah, a San Francisco philanthropist, and her older brother Ilie, a celebrated New York designer. Since discovering her image in the museum, they have pieced together memories of pre-war Vienna, their escape to Italy, and their journey to Shanghai. The narrative reveals their experiences in the Shanghai ghetto, a lesser-known aspect of WWII history. Ilie's perspective reflects a teenage boy's desire for adventure and responsibility, while Deborah's story captures the struggle of a young girl trying to maintain innocence amid the harsh realities of being a Jewish refugee.