Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Join Congregation Ohev Shalom on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023 in welcoming Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jonathan Kaufman as the first speaker in the Bernard and Samra Gotlib Jewish Speaker Series. Kaufman will speak about his latest book, "The Last Kings of Shanghai – The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China."

Kaufman is the author of two other well-reviewed books, "A Hole in the Heart of the World: Being Jewish in Eastern Europe" and "Broken Alliance: The Turbulent Times Between Blacks and Jews in America," which won the National Jewish Book Award.

"The Last Kings of Shanghai – The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China" is the fascinating stories of the Sassoons and the Kadoories, two Jewish families from Baghdad that from the 1800s until the Communist takeover in 1949 built wildly prosperous financial empires and bent the arc of China's history. They ignited an economic boom and opened China to the world but turned a blind eye to the country's deep inequality and political turmoil. During World War II, the families overcame their rivalry to work together to save 18,000 Jews fleeing the Nazis.  

Learn about this little-known part of Chinese history and the insights it offers into China's current economic and political struggles.

There will be a dessert reception at 7:15 p.m. followed by Havdalah at 7:45 p.m. The program will begin at 8 p.m.  

Thanks to the generosity of the Gotlib family there is no charge to attend, but reservations are requested by Feb. 9 to help us plan for food and seating. 

Register at https://www.ohevshalom.org/event/gotlib-jewish-speaker.html.