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Play tells tale of Jewish refugees in WW2 Shanghai

Thursday, March 29, 2012

The time : World War Two. The place : Shanghai, where more than 30,000 Jews were sheltered by the Chinese during the Japanese occupation - a saga now dramatized in a play that aims to highlight a little-known episode in history.

Vrijeme: Drugi svjetski rat. Mjesto: Šangaj, u kojemu su Kinezi zaštitili  više do 30.000 Židova u toku japanske okupacije- priča koja je sada dramatizirana u predstavu kako bi "osvijetlila" malo poznatu epizodu iz povijesti. 

"This is the Chinese version of ’Schindler’s List,’" said Jeffrey Sichel, one of the directors, referring to the Oscar-winning film about a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe.

To je kineska verzija Schindlerove liste- rekao je  Jeffrey Siachel, jedan od direktora ( North Bank Suzhou Creek) govoreći o filmu (dobitniku  Oskara) , o njemačkom biznismenu koji se spasio više od tisuću Židova u nacističkoj Evropi.

U stvari nije dovoljno poznato da su Kinezi dali zaštitu za preko 30.000 Židova.

Židovski su izbjeglice organizirali zajednicu, sa kazalištem i školom , u jednom improviziranom dijelu Šangaja na sjeveru grada,  na poznatoj obali rijeke, prije nego što su  ih Japanci, suradnici nacističke Njemačke,  prisilili da žive u ograničem prostoru geta.

Dalje čitajte u originalnom članku

The play centers on a Jewish-run cafe on the northern bank of Shanghai’s Suzhou Creek, where Shana, the daughter of the cafe owner, finds herself pursued by both a Japanese official, Mr. Suzuki, as well as Song Yao, a Chinese resistance fighter.

The six-person cast is divided evenly between Chinese and Western actors, and the play was directed by two Jewish-American directors.

Wang Jiajian, who plays the role of Song Yao, said he felt that the Jewish and Chinese people were united at that time in history because both were struggling with oppressors.

"When I hug Shana, the daughter of the Jewish man, sometimes I feel that I have gone back in time to that period," he said. "Our hearts understand each other, the way we think and the obstacles we face are very similar."

Emelie Ohana, who plays Shana, said she was moved by her character’s plight and the conflicts she faced. "There’s something about this character, about this story, about what it says, that has so much meaning," she said. "It’s so powerful."

The play is produced in partnership with the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, Chinese production company Play Play Studio Company, the international NGO, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the Israeli consulate in Shanghai.

It will run from March 22 to April 1 at the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, then have a two-day run at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, before its New York premiere in May.

Predstava će se održavati od 22. ožujka do 1. travnja u  Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum,  zatim dva dana u  Shanghai Theatre, prije premijere,  u  maju , u New Yorku.