Ｅｘｈｉｂｉｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ Ｈｉｓｔｏｒｉｃａｌ Ｐｈｏｔｏｓ ｏｆ Ｊｅｗｉｓｈ Ｐｅｏｐｌｅ Ｍｏｕｎｔｅｄ ｉｎ Ｔｉａｎｊｉｎ

Jointly sponsored by the Tianjin Municipal People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (TMPAFFC) and the Israeli Embassy in China， an exhibition of historical Photos of Jewish people was mounted in Tianjin on December 13， 2006. Zhang Junfang， vice mayor of Tianjin， Zhao Yannan， vice president of the TMPAFFC， Dr. Yehoyada Haim， Israeli ambassador to China， and representatives from all circles of the city， totaling over 100， attended the opening ceremony.

The photo exhibition vividly showed the historical scenes of the period when genocide happened in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp where Jews were being slaughtered by the German Nazis， and the Chinese people gave warm shelter and selfless help to the Jewish refugees.

During WWII， many Jewish refugees escaped from Nazi’s genocide and traveled all the way from Europe across the oceans to China. The Chinese people kindly opened the door and provided them sanctuary. In the meantime， forgetting their personal safety， many Jewish people sojourning in Tianjin courageously helped Chinese people in their struggle against Japanese aggression. Israel Epstein risked his life to go to the front and visited Yan’an. He reported to the world how the Chinese army and people fought against the aggressors. Austrian Jewish doctor Richard Frey joined the Eight Route Army and moved about with the army at the front to rescue the Chinese wounded fighters. In the anti-Japanese aggression battlefield， he was respected as “Doctor Bethune from Austria” by Chinese army and people.

For over a hundred years， lives of the Jewish residents in Tianjin have incorporated in the development of the city， where traces of their hardworking and happy life can be found in the city’s economic and cultural constructions. In streets and lanes， there remain many signs of Jewish culture. Many Jewish people who were born or once lived in the city， but now have settled in different parts of the world， still regard Tianjin as their hometown and cherished deep affection for it.

The exhibition will further enhance the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Israeli people， promote friendly contacts between the city of Tianjin and the Jewish people who have lived there， and accelerate exchanges and cooperation in economy， culture and other fields between Tianjin and Israel. It will also make us value more dearly today’s peaceful and secured life and encouraged us to make joint efforts to build a harmonious and peaceful world.