Goodbye Shanghai: Historic Shanghai book talk with author Sam Moshinsky – 7/4/12

Below I reprint the blurb for an event that may or may not be very interesting this weekend – I’m slightly worried as whoever wrote the blurb about how “Shanghai’s uniqueness as a home and haven to thousands of Jews over many centuries” is clearly a bit of an idiot – “centuries”!!!! anyway….

Goodbye Shanghai: Historic Shanghai book talk with author Sam Moshinsky

Sam Moshinsky shares his story of growing up in the Shanghai of foreign settlements, the Japanese occupation and the return to Chinese sovereignty.

Saturday, April 7, 4pm

M on the Bund, Shanghai

RMB 75, includes a drink

Reservations essential/预约方式: reservations@m-onthebund.com, 6350 9988

I don’t know this book at all…so here’s what Amazon says – and the book’s here too

During the first seventeen years of his life, spent in Shanghai, Sam experienced wars, changing regimes, different currencies and a variety of schools that reflected the evolving political landscape. In a world obsessed with conflicting nationalism, his family survived as stateless residents, neither subject to, nor the responsibility of, any country. They were instead, sustained by their Russian Jewish culture and community. Through Sam s memories of early life and his love of history, we learn of Shanghai s uniqueness as a home and haven to thousands of Jews over many centuries.

Born in Shanghai, Sam Moshinsky migrated to Melbourne, Australia, in November 1951, at the age of seventeen. He studied at The University of Melbourne where he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree, which led to a successful career as a chartered accountant. Later he became a financial executive, a professional director and an adviser on numerous corporate boards. Sam has also chaired the board of many Jewish organisations including the United Israel Appeal, Temple Beth Israel, the Jewish Museum of Australia and The Australian Jewish News. In June 2000, Sam was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of his contributions to Jewish organisations and the general community.