‘Last Kings of Shanghai’ author Jonathan Kaufman to speak Sept. 8

Lewes Public Library, Browseabout Books and Seaside Jewish Community in Rehoboth Beach have joined together to host an event featuring Jonathan Kaufman speaking via Zoom about his new book, “The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China.”

Kaufman will be interviewed by retired Delaware Family Court Judge Aida Waserstein, a resident of Wilmington and Lewes, at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Kaufman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, editor and author. His career has included working for the Wall Street Journal, where he was China Bureau chief in Beijing; for the Boston Globe, where he was Berlin Bureau chief; and for Bloomberg News, where he served as executive editor for company news. Presently he holds the position of director of the Northeastern University School of Journalism. He has published two previous titles, one of which, “Broken Alliance: The Turbulent Times Between Blacks and Jews in America,” won the National Jewish Book Award.

Kaufman’s “Last Kings” is about two rival families – the Sassoons and Kadoories – that played substantial roles in the ascendance of Shanghai and Hong Kong, along with the evolution of Asia more broadly. Both families, originally from Baghdad, navigated Chinese politics and economics for more than 175 years. They faced some of the most consequential events in Chinese and world history, starting from the Opium Wars, through World War II and Japanese occupation of China, followed by the Chinese Civil War and victory of the Communists, which forced the families to leave Shanghai for a period of exile in Hong Kong and London. When China opened to Western diplomacy and commerce under Deng Xiaoping, it called back Lawrence Kadoorie to help establish nuclear power.

During World War II, the Sassoons and Kadoories joined together in efforts to rescue European Jews from the Holocaust. They funded the rescue of approximately 20,000 Jews who arrived by ships in Shanghai and lived in a one-mile-square area called Little Vienna. How they and the two families that saved them weather World War II and the Japanese occupation is one of the most fascinating parts of this little-known history.

“In COVID times, when authors are unable to travel and speak in person, the ability to make these connections through Zoom have allowed us locally the opportunity to meet and hear from many national authors of interest on Jewish-related topics,” said Enid Zafran, who heads up Seaside Jewish Community’s Book Group. “Of particular interest to Seaside members are authors writing about Jews, and their contributions and lives in many settings across the world. Sharing these experiences with the community at large through a relationship with local organizations like the Lewes Public Library and Browseabout has provided us all with an opportunity to meet and discuss and grow together.”

This online event is offered through Zoom and is free to the public. Registration is required to receive information on how to join the meeting. To register, go to tinyurl.com/zoomwithauthors or lewes.lib.de.us and click on the virtual author event link.

For assistance with registration or getting the Zoom invitation, email the library at lewes.library@gmail.com.