A sculpture outside of the reopened coffee house. (Photo/thepaper.cn)
A coffee house run by members of Shanghai's Jewish community during World War II has been rebuilt and reopened in Shanghai, where over 30,000 Jews stayed between 1933 and 1941.
The White Horse Inn was opened in 1939 by Ron Klinger's grandparents, who came to Shanghai from Vienna in 1938. The inn remained with Ron's grandparents until 1949, when they moved to Sydney, Australia. Later, it was demolished.
"A lot of people visited, Jewish people and non-Jewish people. It was like cafe, bar and nightclub. It was very popular," recalled Ron, who attended the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
The new coffee house is close to the Shanghai Jewish refugees museum and was rebuilt in accordance with the original style. It displays some old photos donated by the Klinger family.
"It is amazing. It is like coming home," said Ron, whose parents met in the White Horse Inn and were married in 1941. Ron was born in the same year.
"World War II was a terrible time. It was terrible for the Chinese people and for the Jewish people," he said.
"My parents often told me that while in Shanghai, they never encountered any hostility, any anti-Semitism, or any unfriendliness from the Chinese people," said Ron.
Other offspring of Jewish refugees and an old Chinese neighbor of the inn also visited the new coffee house.
"The restoration will help young people know more about the history of WWII," he said.[Special coverage]
