To Wear the Dust of War: From Bialystok to Shanghai to the Promised Land, an Oral History (Palgrave Studies in Oral History)

Like many European Jews, Sam Iwry began his life in Poland, but at the age of ten fled with his family to Russia before World War I. At age 29, Iwry was forced to flee again - this time from the Soviets - and ended up in Shanghai, China, joining 20,000 Jewish refugees who were there. The story of the Diaspora caused by the Holocaust is well-known, but the Far Eastern dimension has come to light only very recently. Iwry is a magnificent storyteller who not only brings the harrowing details of flight and survival into vivid detail, but he is also an historian who deliberately places his own experiences into much wider context. This oral history sheds light on Jewish life in Eastern Europe during the inter-war period, the search for a safe haven from Nazis and Soviets, daily life in the Shanghai ghetto, and emigration to America. Iwry's story is both representative of the Jewish experience and also completely unique. On the eve of World War I, ten-year-old Samuel Iwry and his family joined other Jewish refugees in fleeing Poland for Russia. At age twenty-nine, Iwry was forced to flee again - this time from the Soviets - and ended up in Shanghai, joining 20,000 Jewish refugees already there. The story of the diaspora caused by the Holocaust is well-known, but the Far Eastern dimension has come to light only very recently. Iwry's story unfolds in his own compelling words, conveying the harrowing details of flight and survival in vivid detail; L. J. H. Kelly succeeds in placing Iwry's experiences into much wider historical context. This oral history sheds light on Jewish life in eastern Europe during the interwar period, the search for a safe haven from Nazis and Soviets, daily life in the Shanghai ghetto, and emigration to America. Iwry's story is representative of the Jewish experience but also completely unique. -- from back cover. On the eve of World War I, ten-year-old Samuel Iwry and his family joined other Jewish refugees in fleeing Poland for Russia. At age twenty-nine, Iwry was forced to flee again--this time from the Soviets--and ended up in Shanghai, joining 20,000 Jewish refugees already there. The story of the diaspora caused by the Holocaust is well-known, but the Far Eastern dimension has come to light only very recently. Iwry's story unfolds in his own compelling words, conveying the harrowing details of flight and survival into vivid detail. Leslie Kelly suceeds in placing Iwry's experiences into much wider historical context. This oral history sheds light on Jewish life in eastern Europe during the inter-war period, the search for a safe haven from Nazis and Soviets, daily life in the Shanghai ghetto, and emigration to America. Iwry's story is representative of the Jewish experience but also completely unique Front Matter....Pages I-XXVI Three Worlds, Three Lives....Pages 1-20 Into the Dark Tunnel....Pages 21-42 The Japanese Diplomat in Lithuania....Pages 43-66 Across Russia to Japan....Pages 67-88 Shanghai Ghetto....Pages 89-116 20,000 Refugees, Two Visas....Pages 117-137 Coming to America....Pages 139-155 The Master and the Scrolls....Pages 157-173 Teacher, Scholar, Grandfather....Pages 175-196 Epilogue....Pages 197-202 Back Matter....Pages 203-214 Samuel Iwry (pronounced "EE-vree") was born into the eastern region of Poland, which since 1797 had been occupied by the Russian Empire.