JEWISH people arguably have a stronger sense of themselves and their history compared to others. Perhaps this is because they were a people without a nation state for such a long period. Although they are scattered all over the world, they don't forget their long and winding history.

Their story includes Shanghai, which during World War II became a safe haven for Jews fleeing the Nazi death camps in Europe. About 30,000 Jewish refugees were in Shanghai - two thirds were in Hongkou District - during World War II.

More than half a century later, people are still trying to dig up as much information as possible about Jewish refugees in Shanghai, trying to pass on precious memories from generation to generation. Dvir Bar-Gal, a 46-year-old Israeli, has based his life on discovering their stories and passing them on to others.

The documentarian, videographer and journalist first came to Shanghai in 2001 to do some research on Jewish cemeteries for a TV station in Israel. The research soon expanded to the entire Jewish legacy in the city. Such was his passion for uncovering as much as possible, Bar-Gal decided to remain in Shanghai full time with his wife Anfisa.

"Shanghai is my home now," he said. "Shanghai has been good to us and I hope we do good to Shanghai."

As a researcher, he doesn't just go through old books and documents, he takes people on half-day walking tours. It costs 400 yuan (US$61.65) per person, to areas in Shanghai once home to Jews.

Every week, he takes tourists from all over the world on a history trail. They set off from the gorgeous Peace Hotel on the Bund, a hotel built by Sir Victor Sassoon, a Jew from the famous Sassoon family, and head to the former Jewish ghetto in Hongkou and then visit a museum in memory of the Jewish refugees in Shanghai.

From time to time, Bar-Gal talks about the history of Jewish people in the city. His stories include how Jews first started businesses in Shanghai during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), how Jewish people managed to find a haven in Shanghai during World War II.

While this chapter in Jewish history is short, it has created a strong link between Jews and the people of Shanghai.

Jewish refugees who lived here include Michael Blumenthal, the Secretary of the Treasury under US President Jimmy Carter, and Yosef Tekoah, late Israel Ambassador to the United Nations.

Bar-Gal tells these stories naturally and doesn't use any queue cards. The stories are a part of him. He uses an iPad to show people pictures of key figures he talks about on the tour.

"Almost all my visitors claim that our heritage tour is the most eye-opening half day they spent in China and that they learn a piece of forgotten history," he said with a touch of pride.

He has been doing this for nine years, so the locals in these areas are familiar with the "strong, energetic laowai."

He says something special happens almost every time during the walking tour.

"That is why I like Shanghai," he said. "There are so many interesting local people and interesting places. Then there are the interesting people who come from overseas to learn about China and it's people."

In the former Jewish ghetto, the lanes with shikumen (stone-gated) homes still show traces of the Jewish refugees. The Star of David can be seen above some windows. Although few Jewish people live there today, Chinese residents, especially seniors, remember clearly the days when foreigners were "everywhere."

"Although the street names changed after the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the house numbers have never changed," Bar-Gal said. "So when Jewish people come back, they can still easily find the house they once lived in for nearly a decade."

For many former Jewish refugees, returning to Shanghai is bittersweet. They often recall some happy times when seeing their former home, yet also remember the difficulties they endured, which in some cases included the death of a family member or friend.

During the "cultural revolution (1966-76)," four Jewish cemeteries in Shanghai were destroyed and with them, parts of the Jewish legacy.

Bar-Gal is also studying the lost cemeteries, which is rarely mentioned in open document or report from the official source.

According to his research, the cemeteries, originally located in Hongkou District, near present day Huoshan Park, were moved to suburban Qingpu District in the 1950s and were destroyed during the cultural revolution.

Bar-Gal said every few weeks he receives an e-mail from someone abroad who asks if he can help them locate the grave of a family member who was buried in Shanghai.

"Needless to say they are sad to hear nothing can be found any more," he says.

He said he tells people the graves were destroyed for "posijiu," a familiar term to middle-aged and senior Chinese but little known among foreigners.

"Posijiu," a special term only used during the cultural revolution, means "break the old thoughts, old cultures, old customs and old habits that were believed to have harmed Chinese people for thousands of years."

Setting up graves was regarded as a superstitious "old custom" at that time, thus many graves, including some ancient Chinese graves, were destroyed. Those of the Jewish refugees were no exception, he said.

Once Bar-Gal discovered the cemeteries were gone he started trying to track down the lost headstones. He found the graves were moved to Mingzhu Village in Qingpu in 1958 and he believed that somehow the gravestones could still be found there.

He and his team started searching, asking for the help of villagers. Some locals remembered seeing stones "carved with unknown characters and letters." So far, they have found 105 headstones - some were buried underground, some were at the bottom of a creek.

Although the headstones were broken, the Hebrew carved on them is still clear. These, of course, are just a small part of what has been lost.

Bar-Gal said he is still frustrated since there is no "proper" place to put the headstones.

"Most of them are in a dusty warehouse and the others are in a parking lot at a cemetery in Mingzhu Village," he said.

Bar-Gal said he and his team are working with city authorities to build a memorial for the Jewish refugees who died in Shanghai. He said the process is slow, but that it's worth it.

For more information visit www.shanghai-jews.com.

Some spots Bar-Gal usually stops at on his tour

The Peace Hotel (Huangpu District)

As the former Cathay Hotel, the building was built by Sir Victor Sassoon, a Jew from the famous Sassoon family. The building has been a landmark in the city since the 1920s, when Shanghai was known as the "Paris of the East." Its recent renovation has restored some of the original appearance of the inner parts of the hotel.

Ohel Moishe Synagogue (Hongkou District)

During World War II, when Nazis sent Jews to death camps, the area around the synagogue became home to about 20,000 Jewish refugees from central Europe. Ohel Moishe Synagogue was their place of worship. Today a memorial museum has been established in the synagogue, recording the history of the period.

Huoshan Park (Hongkou District)

The small park has a monument to commemorate the Jewish refugees who lived in Shanghai during World War II. The tour stops at the park and the monument.

The Old Ghetto Alleys (Hongkou District)

From February 1943, the Japanese army forced many Jewish refugees to live in a small area in Hongkou District. The place became a ghetto where both Jews and Chinese shared years of hardship. Today this neighborhood still features much of its 1940's character. The tour takes a walk through the area, visiting a Chinese home where Jewish refugees once lived.