City leaves lasting mark on Israel's consul general
By Lu Feiran |
July 14, 2013, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
JACKIE Eldan said during his five years as consul general of Israel in Shanghai, one of his proudest achievements is to have helped debunk some of the stereotypes that the two countries have of each other.
Eldan, 48, whose own family roots go far back into Shanghai history, is completing his tour of duty in the city this month. He said before he came to Shanghai, he knew that many Israelis saw China as a not-so-advanced country, while he found many Chinese think Israel is dangerous. Both stereotypes are mostly untrue, he said.
"China has many advanced cities like Shanghai, while Israel is actually a very safe, ideal travel destination," said Eldan.
Eldan said the main way he tried to erase misperceptions was strengthening commerce between the two countries - boosting trade, attracting more Chinese tourists to Israel and playing a key role in Israel opening an exhibit at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo - his country's first independent pavilion at a World Expo event.
Eldan said he has been gratified that trade between the countries, which he hoped to help boost to US$3 billion a year when he arrived in 2008, has more than doubled to US$8 billion.
While the number of Chinese tourists going to Israel is still modest, the yearly growth has been significant. Last year about 20,000 Chinese tourists went to Israel, mostly from Shanghai and Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.
"Some of them are families of people who are working in Israel, some of them are tourists who have been to most places in the world, and some of them are Christians going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land," he said.
Eldan said Israel's pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, which he started working on before arriving in China, attracted more than 3.5 million visitors, about one-third more than Eldan expected.
Eldan said the profound historical bond of the Jewish people and Shanghainese was one of the reasons that he has had a warm feeling working in the country. He said he is very grateful that Shanghai took in some 20,000 Jews fleeing the Nazi regime in Europe, even during the Japanese occupation, while nearly every other place turned its back.
"In Judaism, out of all issues, life is the most important thing. You do everything to save a life," he said. "Saving one life is like saving the whole world. So Shanghai saved 20,000 worlds and we will never forget this."
This month, before Eldan leaves, he and the consulate general will present the The Torah holy book to the Jewish Refugee Memorial Museum of Shanghai in the former Ohel Moishe Synagogue.
Eldan's own roots go far back into Shanghai's history - he is a descendant of the celebrated Sassoon family, which grew and prospered with Shanghai from the middle of the 19th century until the late 1930s. The family played a key role in the city's trade and built the Peace Hotel and the Ohel Rachel Synagogue.
Eldan said when he was about to come to Shanghai, elderly members of his family took him by the shoulder and told him that it was his responsibility to reopen the synagogue.
The synagogue, built in 1917, was put to various uses in the latter half of the 20th century. In 1993, Shanghai declared Ohel Rachel a historic landmark. It is now a museum, and before the World Expo 2010, the city government decided to open it for visitors to pray on Fridays.
"The elderly in my family were very proud, and said I have completed the task," he said. "It's both emotional on a personal level and on a national level."
China has been a wonderful experience that has nurtured Eldan's interest in photography, he added.
He remembered that as a newcomer, he and his family went to Hangzhou during a national holiday.
"There were people everywhere and we were stuck in the middle, and people were shooting pictures of us, and finally we had to go back to hotel," he said. "This was my first realization that China really had dense population. But I also realized that it's good that you would never be alone in this country, while in Israel, it's very easy to be in a remote place and all on your own."
Eldan said his interest in photography also has made him realize how fast the city has changed.
"People living in Shanghai may not feel its rapid change everyday, but people who are away from it for a period of time would feel it," he said.
"Everything was so intriguing that I wanted to take photos, and there was a sense of urgency because of the change. Like when I first arrived here, I went to the old neighborhoods in Hongkou District, and if I go there again today, there would be only one old neighborhood left and the rest have become modern residential buildings."
Change also has encouraged Eldan to keep learning. In 2011, he signed up for the MBA course at Shanghai Jiao Tong University to improve his knowledge of the Chinese economy.
He has also been learning classical guitar in a club. Some of the other students are children under the age 10, but Eldan doesn't mind. "And now my eight-year-old son is also studying with me," he said.
Eldan said he hopes to continue being involved in China-Israel relations even after he leaves Shanghai. He said he thinks Israel can continue to contribute to China's development through technology to improve water resources, environmentally friendly energy and safe food.
"These are the major challenges for China currently," he said. "Israel has the resources and technology to cooperate with China. And I hope I can help strengthening the cooperation."
Eldan, 48, whose own family roots go far back into Shanghai history, is completing his tour of duty in the city this month. He said before he came to Shanghai, he knew that many Israelis saw China as a not-so-advanced country, while he found many Chinese think Israel is dangerous. Both stereotypes are mostly untrue, he said.
"China has many advanced cities like Shanghai, while Israel is actually a very safe, ideal travel destination," said Eldan.
Eldan said the main way he tried to erase misperceptions was strengthening commerce between the two countries - boosting trade, attracting more Chinese tourists to Israel and playing a key role in Israel opening an exhibit at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo - his country's first independent pavilion at a World Expo event.
Eldan said he has been gratified that trade between the countries, which he hoped to help boost to US$3 billion a year when he arrived in 2008, has more than doubled to US$8 billion.
While the number of Chinese tourists going to Israel is still modest, the yearly growth has been significant. Last year about 20,000 Chinese tourists went to Israel, mostly from Shanghai and Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.
"Some of them are families of people who are working in Israel, some of them are tourists who have been to most places in the world, and some of them are Christians going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land," he said.
Eldan said Israel's pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, which he started working on before arriving in China, attracted more than 3.5 million visitors, about one-third more than Eldan expected.
Eldan said the profound historical bond of the Jewish people and Shanghainese was one of the reasons that he has had a warm feeling working in the country. He said he is very grateful that Shanghai took in some 20,000 Jews fleeing the Nazi regime in Europe, even during the Japanese occupation, while nearly every other place turned its back.
"In Judaism, out of all issues, life is the most important thing. You do everything to save a life," he said. "Saving one life is like saving the whole world. So Shanghai saved 20,000 worlds and we will never forget this."
This month, before Eldan leaves, he and the consulate general will present the The Torah holy book to the Jewish Refugee Memorial Museum of Shanghai in the former Ohel Moishe Synagogue.
Eldan's own roots go far back into Shanghai's history - he is a descendant of the celebrated Sassoon family, which grew and prospered with Shanghai from the middle of the 19th century until the late 1930s. The family played a key role in the city's trade and built the Peace Hotel and the Ohel Rachel Synagogue.
Eldan said when he was about to come to Shanghai, elderly members of his family took him by the shoulder and told him that it was his responsibility to reopen the synagogue.
The synagogue, built in 1917, was put to various uses in the latter half of the 20th century. In 1993, Shanghai declared Ohel Rachel a historic landmark. It is now a museum, and before the World Expo 2010, the city government decided to open it for visitors to pray on Fridays.
"The elderly in my family were very proud, and said I have completed the task," he said. "It's both emotional on a personal level and on a national level."
China has been a wonderful experience that has nurtured Eldan's interest in photography, he added.
He remembered that as a newcomer, he and his family went to Hangzhou during a national holiday.
"There were people everywhere and we were stuck in the middle, and people were shooting pictures of us, and finally we had to go back to hotel," he said. "This was my first realization that China really had dense population. But I also realized that it's good that you would never be alone in this country, while in Israel, it's very easy to be in a remote place and all on your own."
Eldan said his interest in photography also has made him realize how fast the city has changed.
"People living in Shanghai may not feel its rapid change everyday, but people who are away from it for a period of time would feel it," he said.
"Everything was so intriguing that I wanted to take photos, and there was a sense of urgency because of the change. Like when I first arrived here, I went to the old neighborhoods in Hongkou District, and if I go there again today, there would be only one old neighborhood left and the rest have become modern residential buildings."
Change also has encouraged Eldan to keep learning. In 2011, he signed up for the MBA course at Shanghai Jiao Tong University to improve his knowledge of the Chinese economy.
He has also been learning classical guitar in a club. Some of the other students are children under the age 10, but Eldan doesn't mind. "And now my eight-year-old son is also studying with me," he said.
Eldan said he hopes to continue being involved in China-Israel relations even after he leaves Shanghai. He said he thinks Israel can continue to contribute to China's development through technology to improve water resources, environmentally friendly energy and safe food.
"These are the major challenges for China currently," he said. "Israel has the resources and technology to cooperate with China. And I hope I can help strengthening the cooperation."
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