China
In 1931 the Japanese invaded Manchuria, and in the second phase in 1937 launched an attack on Beijing, Nanking and Shanghai.
Many people moved south from Harbin and Tientsin where the Japanese influence was very pronounced, to Shanghai where things were a lot more relaxed. Life in general for the non-Chinese population was quite good though the rules were quite strict.
Dad in his teenage years.
1927 1928 1929
1930 1931 1931
Dad with friends on outings. Note modern swimwear.
Babushka, Binyamin and friend Babushka, Binyamin mum and Fira
Babushka’s second husband Binyamin was previously married to Baba Bela as she was known by all the children. They had 3 daughters, Liza, Masha and Sasha and a son Isaac. Sasha died young leaving behind 3 year old Fira, her daughter.
Liza Masha Sasha and Sasha Liza Binyamin Isaac and Masha Isaac standing
Dad’s brothers marry
Lyolya married Fania Sima married Galia
Arcadia married Frida, Gittle-Esther seated
My uncle Sima's wife Galia was born in 1915 to Nikolai and Elena Baksheev. She was one of ten children. In 1920 during the Russian revolution, the Red Army was beating the Imperialist White Army and had them on the run. Nikolai Baksheev was a colonel in the White Army, and brought his family to the border with China where he bribed the guards to allow his family to enter China. Michael Vetz who married Natalie, Sima and Galia’s younger daughter, relayed the story to me and went on to say that Nikolai Baksheev was killed by the guards at the border crossing after the family went across.
Galia’s father, Colonel Nikolai Baksheev of theWhite Russian Army
Mum and dad marry 15th
September 1936
Dad moved from Harbin to Shanghai in 1931 shortly after his mum, Gittle-Esther died. He moved into a boarding house for young Jewish men run by my Babushka, where he met mum. According to Nellie, he pursued her continuously but she kept him at bay waiting for a possible better offer. They saw each other all the time and the romance stepped up a few notches till finally they married on the 15th September 1936.
The
reception
Studio Portrait of mum
Life in China
Dad taught himself English when he started working after his mum died. He achieved this in a manner which would make modern educators cringe. With a dictionary in hand he spent many hours copying from newspapers and magazines and looking up any word he did not know. While his English was not great, it served the purpose of him being able to land a job as a comprador with a Chinese import company. The duty of the comprador was to communicate with companies in the US for the purpose of importing their merchandise into a country starved of consumer goods. The company dad was employed by specialised in glassware and enjoyed a good reputation so that when a shipment arrived from the US and was still either aboard the ship or in the godowns, the warehouses at the wharf, major distributors or department stores would come to them and negotiate a price, goods sight unseen. They purchased the bills of lading with which they then went and took delivery of the goods. In time dad became one of the five partners in the company and we enjoyed a good standard of living.
Dad and mum told us the following story about Carnation milk. The value of the Chinese currency was dropping because of the serious inflation worldwide, to the point where if you didn’t spend your wages immediately the money became worthless in no time at all. The notes’ value was for ten, fifty, one hundred thousand and one million Chinese dollars. What you had to do was buy any commodity available which you could later barter for goods you needed. At the end of one particular week, dad received his wages in two large laundry bags full of money straight from the press, in bundles that were still taped up. The only commodity available at that moment was a large consignment of Carnation milk. In those days Carnation milk was commonly used to make baby formula suitable as a supplement to the diet of babies and children as well as adding to coffee. Both Nellie and I grew up constantly using Carnation milk. The rest of the consignment was being used in bartering with people who had what you required. The habit of using Carnation milk in our family continued in Israel and Australia.
While mum was a qualified kindergarten teacher, I am not sure if she ever worked as such when in China. Somewhere along the line she became a manicurist and worked in a salon run by an American couple. When the war started, this couple was interned in Hongku, an internment camp for Americans, English and refugees from Europe. Conditions were miserable and mum and dad used to meet them at the fence several times a week to supply them with food and basics. Russians living in China were not interfered with by the Japanese because they did not want to antagonise Russia, so we had a wonderful carefree lifestyle.
When not at work, mum and dad enjoyed life to the maximum. The social life was never ending, alternating between the Shanghai Jewish Club, the Shanghai Race Course Club, The Volunteers night clubs, movies, cabarets and late suppers in top hotels, snatching a few hours’ sleep and then back to work. In addition to that, dad was involved heavily in Betar, the Zionist movement, Volunteer Corps and various sporting activities. Every spare moment when mum was not involved with any of these activities she played rummy and mahjong ad nauseum.
All this was made possible because Babushka was at home and the amah looked after Nellie and me. Life was good.
Dad
was a champion snooker player and had many trophies to show for it. Note
the dates on the photo “1931 – 1941”
Mum and dad with friends. Their closest friends were Gava Rabinovitch,
first on the left, and his wife Rosetta, second on the right.
At the head of the table is dad’s brother Arcadia with the permanent pipe in
his mouth.
Mum, dad, dad’s brother Sima and mum’s closest friend Clara Kisch - 1940
Mum, dad and mum’s close friend Phelia on her left
Summer ball - 1939
Betar
(Brit Yosef Trumpeldor)
Dad was a staunch Zionist. When the Zionist fervour was gripping the entire Jewish world the Jews of China went into it in a big way. Ze’ev Jabotinsky formed a new Revisionist party called the Alliance of Revisionists-Zionists with its youth movement, Betar. Betar had far ranging activities which included intensive study of Zionism and Israel, military training, sport, social and recreation, the main thrust of all these activities being to prepare to make Aliyah to Israel. The Jewish youth of China were very serious and focussed about Zionism.
A formal memorial gathering in front of a picture of Ze’ev Jabotinsky,Betar’s world figurehead at the time of his death, Aug 1940.Dad is first on the right.
Dad became a very active member of Betar and rose through the ranks to be at the top end as can be seen by the uniforms he wore.
Dad is the ranking officer sitting 5th from the right, second row.
Parading was done at every opportunity and they all turned out in their splendid uniforms. Most of these activities were usually carried out in the rather extensive grounds of the Shanghai Jewish Club.
Dad leading his naval company Dad with the Mifkada
We are celebrating somethingBetar stands for “Brit Yosef Trumpeldor”
Dad is up top on the right
Parading, marching and presentations were very much part of Betar activities. Below are photos of such parades taking place in the grounds of the Shanghai Jewish Club which can be seen in the bottom left photo.
Shanghai Jewish Club
parade
Presentation
1936
The man next to dad appears in most of the photos. Pana Samsanovitch, who together with his wife Musia, were mum and dad’s closest friends.
from the left.
Dad is second from the left
Betar and Charity work
While working at the Sydney Jewish Museum, I met Peter Nash who was doing research about the Jews in China. In conversation, I gave him the correct spelling of my original name Leymanshtein, and he promised to do some searching.
Three months later, long after I had forgotten all about it, Peter fronted up to me and said he had some information for me. What he came up with totally blew me away. He had copies of correspondence with the authorities and a list of names of Betar boys and girls and their addresses, including dad’s. They wanted to collect clothing for poor refugees.
This letter was sent from the “Shanghai Ashkenazi Collaborating Relief Association” S.A.C.R.A., to the First District Administration of Shanghai for permission to collect old clothing for poor refugees. They in turn requested clearance from the Police Bureau. The Police had no objection in view of the good purpose of the collection and granted permission.
This is the letter of approval from the Shanghai Municipal Police
Part of the list
I queried our address with Nellie who informed me that Seymour Rd was our address at the time all these documents did the rounds in December 1943. We moved shortly after that to Bubbling Well Road.
The Volunteers
The British in Shanghai trained a volunteer corps to aid them in their activities. Betar men of suitable age joined up and were receiving the sort of military training that they felt would be useful to them when they would make Aliyah to Israel. They formed the Jewish Company of the Shanghai Volunteers Corps and were undergoing full military training including pistols, rifles and machine guns.
As well as firearm training and drilling, parading was very much part of the scene, including marching in formation through the streets of Shanghai. Being photographed in full dress uniform was a regular occurrence and dad kept a large album full of these historic photos.
Dad is top row centre with two stripes.Grisha Steinberg is third on Dad’s left and Pana Samsanovitch is seated second from the right.1934
Betar members in the Shanghai Volunteers Corps 1933
Dad top row first from the left. Pana bottom row second from the left and
Brouda top row second from the right.
Dad, Pana, Yasha (Jack) Steinberg Brouda and the British Commander of the Shanghai Volunteers Corps
Marching in the streets of Shanghai 1933
Parading in the streets accompanied by the British Band
1937
Dad is training the men to use the Lewis machine gun
The next Generation
Genia was born in 1925 to Lyolya and Fania
Isia,
(Ike) was born in 1933 to Arcadia and Freda.
Genia and Ike - 1934
Arcadia, Freda and Ike
Nellie was born to Michael and Tanya July 2, 1938
David M Leymanshtein
I went through most of my life, to the age of 72, thinking that I did not have a middle name. While looking for our Naturalisation Certificates which told me in which cities mum and dad were born, I discovered also the nearest thing to my birth certificate. It was a letter attesting to my birth 24 July 1942, and giving my name as David M Leymanshtein. By Russian tradition, a person is referred to by his name and patronymic, so I would be called David Michaelovich. But by Jewish tradition you cannot be given the name of your father while he is still alive. As Nellie’s middle name Gittle-Esther was our grandmother’s name, my name was probably taken from my grandfather whose name was Moses.
Ann was born to Sima and Galia
October 17 1943
Natalie was born to
Sima and Galia September 14, 1949
The kids are growing up in Shanghai
As children, we grew up in privileged surroundings. The social life that the parents had extended to us as well. After kindergarten, we attended the Shanghai Jewish School which was conducted in English, whereas at home we spoke Russian.
Birthday party. Nellie is three. Mum and dad are either side, Lisa is standing next to Mum and seated in front of her is Shirley. Note the collection of amahs.
Nellie is 3 (1941) David is 1 (1943)
1944
Middle row from left :
2nd Shirley, 3rd Dolly, 4th Nellie, 5th
David, 7th Willie
Bottom row from left: 1st Rita, 2nd
Walter.
Birthday parties were a major production but the work was done by the servants and amahs. The younger children attending were usually accompanied by their amahs and the mothers played ladies.
1947
Top row: last on the right Dolly Brouda
Second row: 2nd from the left Leslie Steinberg, 6th Walter, 7th Willie.
Third row: 3rd from the left David, 4th Nellie, 5th Shirley, 6th Rita.
Bottom row: Last on the right Alec Goldberg.
Shanghai Jewish School 1946
Nellie standing, 1st on the left
David seated on the ground 3rd from the left.
From left to right: From left to right:
Walter, Shirley, David Michael, Nellie, mum, David,
Nellie, unknown, Rita unknown, Rita, Sarah Steinberg
and Shirley. Unknown parents top row
Nellie and David Babushka, mum, dad, Arcadia,
Dzedushka David and Nellie.
1948
Mokanshan
Mokanshan was a holiday resort in the mountains which we went to every summer. There were natural springs, swimming pools and tall bamboo trees which provided a lot of shade and therefore a substantially cooler temperature than was in Shanghai.The only way to get there was by train to the foot of the mountains and then coolies carrying each person in sedan chairs. While we always had a sedan for each member of the family, mum refused to be carried and always walked as did some other people who came.
Coolie carrying front end of Mum walking up the hill with
the sedan chair. several sedans following .
Coolies carrying sedans “Back Sight” being ‘backside’
and belongings on poles view of walkers.
Getting to the top was hard work and everyone is pleased to get there
Left to right: Unknown, mum, Gava Rabinowitz, Unknown, dad andRosetta Rabinowitz
Nellie, David (shaved bald) and Dolly in the cool pool
Mum David and Nellie
Leaving China
In 1949 the Communist forces were getting the upper hand on Chiang Kai Shek’s Nationalist army and were advancing through the streets of Shanghai. All the men in Chwacki Avenue off Bubbling Well Road had to stand guard at the gates to protect the inhabitants from the retreating Nationalist troops. This was no more than a token gesture. Dad, holding a heavy short club, allowed me to peek around the gate. What I saw was a whole company of soldiers resting by the wall, some on crutches, some on stretchers and a lot were bandaged up. All this left a permanent image on this six year old.
On the 1st October 1949, Mao Tse Tung, having overrun the Nationalists, declared the Communist People’s Republic of China. Almost immediately representatives of the new government started coming to the company dad was associated with demanding to inspect the account books. After each visit they named another new tax that was not paid, and this was retrospective to the first of October. Being law abiding, the company paid. After this happened several times, it was obvious that the new Communist regime intended to bankrupt all commercial activity. It was time to go.
Leaving China had a certain problem associated with it. Dad told me that before leaving every family had to place an advertisement in the newspaper stating the names of all members of the family leaving, and inviting anyone with a claim to come forward and state their claim to the authorities.
With some families, loyal servants who were with them for long periods of time made claims that all that time they were never paid any wages. Families had to sell possessions to pay the monies owing or not be allowed to leave.
When Babushka originally came to China she took on a young couple as servants, a common practice in those days. By the time 1949 came, their married children themselves had children and they were all living under our roof. That is a span of thirty years. By Chinese standards, they were wealthy. They had a roof over their heads, were well fed, and had wages part of which they sent to their family. We had to make plans to leave without alerting them so as to avoid last minute claims even though they were considered loyal. All servants in this situation knew that when their families left they would again be destitute and go back to being hungry.
And so a plan was hatched. We took an apartment in town and bought things we were planning to take with us to Israel. This is where the packing took place. On the day of sailing, we left our house in the morning, telling the servants we will be late home and not to wait up for us. We took all the silverware telling the servants that we are taking them to be replated. The servants were therefore blissfully unaware that this was the last time they will be seeing us.From the house we went to the ship, the Wooster Victory.
We left Shanghai on 6th November 1949. At the mouth of the river the ship was stopped and three families removed because a last minute claim was made against them by “loyal” servants. We got away.
The voyage was horrendous and lasted seven awful weeks. The Wooster Victory was a cargo vessel that was converted to accommodate about one thousand people. The main hold had three tiered bunks where seven hundred women and children were accommodated. The second smaller hold had two hundred and eighty men and boys. We were caught in a typhoon shortly after leaving China and were tossed around like a cork and one thousand sad souls vomited copiously for two days.
Wooster Victory
Our ship had to go all the way around Africa as no ship going to Israel was allowed to go through the Suez Canal. We stopped briefly off Cape Town and some ex-South Africans we met many years later remembered the occasion when “poor refugees” from China stopped in Cape Town and Jewish shopkeepers opened their doors to them. The Wooster Victory made two such trips. The previous one was one year earlier.
On board the ship Betar continued to function. Here the young Betarim have a parade, Nellie is fourth from the right in the left hand photo. Also some singing and dancing accompanied by a piano accordion, Nellie is on the far left.
Dear reader,
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