Oral History Interview with Evelyn Rubin

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Transcript
English
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Title

Oral History Interview with Evelyn Rubin

Date

October 15, 1999

Contributor

Interviewee:
Evelyn Rubin
Interviewer:
Meta Joy Jacoby

Summary

Evelyn Rubin was an only child born in Breslau, Germany, July 1, 1930. Her family was Modern Orthodox and had a wholesale business. She shares her childhood memories of the many things she could no longer do because she was Jewish, once the Nazis came to power. She describes in detail how difficult it was for her family to leave Germany. She describes how Kristallnachtaffected her family. Her father left her with a neighbor and went into hiding in the attic of a Christian landlord. Her father was caught and sent to Buchenwald but released because he earned a medal during World War I.

Evelyn and her parents left for Shanghai on February 13, 1939 on the HakozakiMaro and arrived March 14, 1939. She describes in great detail their life in Shanghai and how her parents established a business. Her family continued to live as Orthodox Jews. Evelyn went to the Shanghai Jewish School. After Pearl Harbor, American and British citizens were interned. Evelyn’s father died in March 1941 and it became very difficult for her mother to make a living. In 1943 all refugees had to move to the Hong Kew Ghetto and food became scarce. Her mother and other refugees managed to cook and improve their surroundings with very little money. The refugees were inoculated against various diseases with vaccines provided by the Japanese. Evelyn mentions that she has a higher opinion of Mr. Ghoya than most people. She explains how her mother found very inventive ways to earn some money and stretch the food they had.

After the war ended, the JOINT and UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) provided food and a community for the refugees. Evelyn came to the United States with her mother in March 1947, on a German Displaced Persons quota, on the SS General Gordon. Evelyn and her mother found a place to live and jobs with aid from the JOINT. Evelyn explains how her life in Shanghai impacted her personal life. She feels she survived for a reason, including passing on her Jewish tradition to her children.

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Publisher:
Gratz College
Number of Tapes:
1
Language:
English
Identifier:
HOHAGC00447
Rights
Copyright date:
2009
Cite this item
Oral History Interview with Evelyn Rubin. 1999. InterviewInterview by Meta Jacoby. Audio. Oral History Interview With Evelyn Rubin. Holocaust Oral History Archive. Gratz College. https://grayzel.gratz.edu/hoha/oral-history-interview-evelyn-rubin.

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