Peter Kohn, Temple Beth Israel member and senior journalist at the Australian Jewish News, will be writing quarterly reports on Kehilat Shanghai. Kohn's family lived in Shanghai during World War II, and he has written two novels about the Shanghai Jewish community.

Kehilat Shanghai, the dynamic Progressive congregation located in China’s largest city, has been a hub of many activities lately, catering to a wide variety of ages and interests.

A teen retreat in Hong Kong saw teens from three different communities – Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong -- exploring some of the less well known places in Hong Kong. 

They went to a geological park, did an “amazing race”-style scavenger hunt around Hong Kong’s numerous markets, celebrated Havdalah on the waterfront and took the Star Ferry back to Hong Kong Island, bonding over friendly competition and lots of singing. 

This was a first for Kehilat Shanghai, and four teens from the congregation, Tommy Ellis, Daniel Efron, Benjamin Nuland, and Lian Harari were in attendance. 

“Beyond all the fun activities, the Shabbaton provided our kids (and their parents) with a unique opportunity to experience the tight-knit nature of liberal communities around the region,” says Drew Nuland, Benjamin’s father, and tour chaperone. 

“We were all really impressed by the sense of Jewish identity that flows through each of those groups and returned to Shanghai inspired to inject more of that spirit into our own fledgling community,” he said.

UPJ Movement Rabbi Fred Morgan and Sue Morgan of Melbourne visited Kehilat Shanghai and Rabbi Morgan conducted a memorable Seder at Pesach in 2016.

Kehilat Shanghai held its first-ever Community B’nei Mitzvah event, a fully collaborative effort organised by the community, the parents, and the children themselves. The four children who participated were Daniel Efron, Benjamin Nuland, Naomi Chelouche, and Lian Harari.

Taking place on Shabbat Shuvah, September 23, 2017, at the Ohel Moshe Synagogue, it was the second B’nei Mitzvah for Kehilat Shanghai. In advance of his visit to Shanghai, Rabbi Gary Robuck conducted online lessons with the group to prepare for the service. 

At the Community B’nei Mitzvah, each child read a piece of the parsha, some reading only Hebrew, some chanting, and some doing the English translation, which added to the diversity of the event.

Kehilat Shanghai hosted Rabbi Gary Robuck and Jocelyn Robuck of Sydney over Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this year. Rabbi Robuck led services with much joy, thought and music.

An Erev Rosh Hashanah Community dinner saw over 150 people in attendance and was preceded by a service led by Rabbi Robuck. Children were kept busy counting the seeds of pomegranates— the buzz was around the question: do pomegranates really have exactly 613 seeds?

Old and new friends gathered, and Kehilat Shanghai was joined by Moishe House Shanghai, with around 30 Young Professionals in attendance. 

Together with three friends from Sydney, Rabbi Robuck and Jocelyn Robuck spent almost three weeks with Chinese community members, moving about Shanghai, which the rabbi regards as “a mega-city with so much to offer”. 

Services were conducted at Ohel Moshe, once a spiritual refuge for Jews primarily from Germany and Austria during World War II. The synagogue is now part of the Shanghai Refugees Museum grounds operated under the auspices of the Chinese government.

More recently, Kehilat Shanghai hosted its fourth annual combined Shabbat service with 60 teens from Bialik College in Melbourne on their way to Israel.  This was a meaningful and memorable event because of the dialogue after dinner and services. The teens got an opportunity to ask questions about what life as a Jewish person is like in Shanghai.

Kehilat Shanghai is always hosting exciting programming for their community, and would like to invite you to join whenever you are nearby Shanghai!

For more information, please email Hannah Maia Frishberg, Kehilat Shanghai Community Coordinator at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Website: www.kehilatshanghai.org

Peter Kohn is a TBI Melbourne congregant whose family lived in Shanghai during World War II. He has written two novels that deal with this critical time and place in 20th century Jewish history.