SHANGHAI: The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has praised the city of Shanghai
for its help to Jewish people in World War II.
Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the New York-based organization, made
the comments yesterday during a visit to Shanghai.
The group was established in 1913, and is an international non-governmental
organization dedicated to stopping the defamation of the Jewish people and to
securing justice and fair treatment for all.
Twenty-five members of the group visited Shanghai yesterday, and the two-week
tour will also take them to Hong Kong, Beijing, Harbin and Xi'an.
Foxman said: "For us, Shanghai is an important city. During World War II,
when most of the world closed its doors to Jewish people, China permitted Jewish
people to come.
"They accepted Jewish people, they treated them well and they took care of
them."
He added there were three reasons for the group's tour of the country.
"The first is for a better relationship between Jewish people and Chinese
people, the second is for a better relationship between China and the United
States.
"And the last is to strengthen the relationship between China and Israel," he
said.
The delegation visited the former synagogues and residences of Jewish people
in Shanghai during the war. Many members in the group were visiting these sites
for the first time, and were impressed by the buildings.
"This is my second time in China, but my first time to visit the synagogues
in Shanghai. Chinese were really very kind in the war. Even when they were
suffering from the invasion of Japanese, they still helped us," said Irving
Geszel, a member of the group.
"I do have good feelings towards Chinese.
"Even now, they still preserve these buildings for us."
He added: "In the past, both Jewish people and Chinese suffered from wars and
injustice. But now we are pleased to see that both peoples have developed
greatly. This trip is a good opportunity for us to find out about the
development in China."
Foxman said the visit would help Jewish society have a deeper and more
profound understanding about today's China, which would benefit the relationship
between Chinese and Jewish people.
"I have a feeling that Jewish society will become larger in Shanghai and
China in the future. We would like to be of more help to China," he said.
(China Daily 03/27/2006 page3)