A collection of 8,100 books that was donated by an 82-year-old Jewish man arrived at the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum on Wednesday.

The donor, Kurt Wick, first arrived in Shanghai with his family in 1939 to escape the persecution of Nazi Germany. To make a living, his family set up a shop selling handbags in Hongkou district.

Wick and his family left Shanghai in 1948 to settle in London.

In 2019, Wick brought his wife, daughter and son-in-law to Shanghai. When he saw the name of his family on the wall of survivors at the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, Wick decided to donate his books to help with the extension of the museum.

"When I visited the museum, I saw that they did not have many books. I was looking for a place to store my collection of books so I thought maybe it would be useful here as there are many students and Jewish people," said Wick, who likes to collect books about Jewish history, politics, economy, and culture.

"I also thought that this gesture would be my way of saying thank you to Shanghai for saving me and my family," he added.

The collection of books began their journey from London to Shanghai in July 2019. Free Trade Zone Art, the company that helped Wick with his shipment, had to make four trips to his home to collect the books.

Due to the Chinese New Year and the epidemic, the books only entered the bonded warehouse of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone in late February this year.

Today marks the 75th Anniversary of Victory of World Anti-Fascist War, and the end of World War II. Jewish refugees who fled Nazi occupied Europe once referred to Shanghai as “Noah’s Ark”, as it was one of the last places on the planet willing to accept 20,000 Jewish refugees from the late 1930s to 1940s. As time marched on, the number of Jews who lived in the Hongkou ghetto during that period dwindled. Few are still alive to tell their stories, and fewer still, who can make the trip back to the city that was once their salvation. Our reporter Wu Yina met up with survivor Mr. Kurt Wick in the United Kingdom and learns of his connection to Shanghai. The 8,100 books of donation were shipped 9,200 kilometers from London to Shanghai.