Editor's Note: During the World War II, more than 30,000 Jews, under attack by the Nazis in Europe, fled to Shanghai, China and 16,000 of them took refugee in this city. Meanwhile, the local Shanghai people were also in an abyss of pain inflicted by the Japanese invasion.  Though the time was difficult, gratitude and mutual friendship lived on in the heart of the Jewish and Chinese people. The Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum and Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) launched a initiative early this year to present those touching stories in Chinese, English, German and Hebrew. This is one of the selected stories in the project to commemorate the history of Jews in Shanghai.

ne day not long after Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum opened, an old visitor came in. He was very old, but he looked energetic and graceful. He was very excited after entering the exhibition hall, and examined almost every display board and even every photo together with its caption. In his later communication with the museum volunteers, the old man showed a great knowledge of the history of music in Shanghai and affection for the Jewish musicians in Shanghai. Later, the volunteer got to know that the old man was Mr. Tan Ruobing, a professor of Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Sure, the exhibits reminded Professor Tan of the days when he worked together with the Jewish musician in Shanghai during WWII.

Professor Tan especially missed Alfred Wittenberg, a German Jewish musician. Alfred was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who was and is still widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century. His name has become an entry in music dictionaries. During WWII, Alfred became refugee in Shanghai to escape the Holocaust, and during his stay in Shanghai he had taught a number of Chinese musicians, including Tan Shuzhen who later became deputy president of Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Mr. Tan Shuzhen once invited Alfred to teach at Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Alfred accepted the invitation and went to the conservatory every day. The school was then located in the northeastern suburbs of Shanghai, so the school hired a tricycle to pick up Alfred. It was surely tough for an 80-year old professor, but he had never excused himself.

In Shanghai, Alfred often played in concerts, including playing the background and solos, mainly at the Lyceum Theatre. The concerts had been mainly sponsored and conducted by Mario Paci, the Italian musician and leader of the Shanghai Municipal Council Symphony Orchestra (now Shanghai Symphony Orchestra). Prof. Tan had also often invited Alfred to perform in his concerts.

After WWII ended, Alfred remained in Shanghai as a Professor of Professors. He died in 1953 in Shanghai.

Another Jewish musician Prof. Tan recognized was Fritz Philipsborn, a Czech Jewish baritone who had supported young Chinese musicians and students both financially and spiritually. After WWII, Chinese was ruled by KMT which banned almost any public gathering, including music events. At that time, most music professors withdrew from organizing, or even participating in, music events for fear of government penalty. On the other hand, some foreign musicians such as Fritz offered their hands. As Prof. Tan recalled, he once organized a series of charity performances to raise money to support the music cause of China, but met with a lot of difficulties. Then Fritz called on almost all foreign musicians to take part in the campaign, including Lisa Robitscek, another Czech musician.  

Another foreign musician who supported the campaign was Henri Margolinski who acted as the music director for the charity performances. His strong push was proved key to the success of the campaign. Before every performance, Prof. Margolinski attended every performance and after the third performance he asked the students whether they had raised enough money and promised to give another performance if they needed more money. It was a charity act in the real sense, as the Jewish musicians were also struggling to make ends meet.

Remembering his old friends, Prof. Tan said, “It was obliging for Shanghai to open its door to the Jewish refugees, while on the other hand it was lucky for Shanghai to welcome those Jewish musicians who have left beautiful marks in the city.”