Join us for a spectacular panel taking place in three locations in the Bay Area. The panel features three speakers who are surviving representatives of the Sephardi, Russian, and Holocaust–refugee Jewish communities that lived in China in the first half of the 20th century. These events are related to the “Jews of Modern China” photography exhibit, which will be held at the Presidio Officers’ Club Exhibition Hall, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco, from February 24 – May 16, 2010.

Sunday February 7, 3-5 pm
Oshman Family JCC
3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto

Sunday, March 21, 4-6 pm
Congregation Netivot Shalom
1316 University Avenue, Berkeley

Thursday, April 29, 7-9 pm
Presidio Officers’ Club Exhibition Hall
50 Moraga Avenue, Presidio of San Francisco

Leah Jacob Garrick was born in Shanghai, the fourth generation of her family to live there. She lived through the war years under Japanese occupation and came to the United States in 1947. She served twice in the IDF, Israel Defense Forces, as a volunteer. Leah resides in San Francisco and has spoken the world over – from California to New York, London, Australia, Israel and Shanghai.

Rabbi Ted Alexander, Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation B’nai Emunah, has been a beloved teacher and spiritual leader in Northern California for over 50 years. Rabbi Ted is the descendant of a long line of distinguished German Jewish rabbis. In 1939, he escaped Berlin, arriving in Shanghai. Rabbi Ted was ordained in Shanghai in 1946.

Inna Mink was born in Harbin, China. At age two, her parents moved to Shanghai. She lived in Shanghai through the war and came to the States in January l949. Inna appears in the film Exit Shanghai, directed by Ulrike Ottinger.

Linda Frank chairs the “Jews in Modern China” exhibit wearing the hat of board member of the American Jewish Committee San Francisco Office, the lead sponsor of the exhibit. Linda has recently completed her first novel, which is previewed on her Web site: www.lindafrankbooks.com.

This program is part of the Shanghai Celebration. For more information on this year-long San Francisco Bay Area-wide collaboration and its associated exhibitions, films, performances, lectures, and other events, please visit www.shanghaicelebration.com. The cornerstone of the Celebration is the Asian Art Museum’s presentation of Shanghai, a major exhibition examining the visual culture of one of China’s most cosmopolitan cities, scheduled for February 12 – September 5, 2010.

Organizer: China International Culture Exchange Center
Lead Sponsor: American Jewish Committee San Francisco Office
Partners: Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Asia Society of Northern California, Consulate of the Peoples Republic of China in San Francisco, Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest-San Francisco, Judah L. Magnes Museum, Presidio Trust, and Sino-Judaic Institute
Media Partner: jweekly.com

Museum Preview events are made possible through the generous support of the Laszlo N. Tauber Family Foundation.