Barbarians at the Gate cover image

Barbarians at the Gate

Shalama: An Epic Story of Family, Community, and Survival in Republican-era China

Jan 15, 2025
Jean Hoffman Lewanda, author of "Shalama: My 96 Seasons in China," shares her family's gripping saga of survival as Jewish refugees in 20th-century China. She highlights the transition from historical biography to storytelling, drawing from her mother's perspective. Topics include the dangers faced during their migration from Harbin to Shanghai, the struggle for cultural identity, and the concept of statelessness amidst WWII. Lewanda emphasizes the importance of preserving family history and honoring legacy through intergenerational dialogue and creative projects.
33:32

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Jean Hoffman Lewanda chose to write her mother's story as historical fiction to creatively interpret and fill narrative gaps from family storytelling.
  • The podcast emphasizes the thriving Jewish community in Harbin and Shanghai, showcasing their cultural resilience during socio-political upheaval and danger.

Deep dives

Historical Fiction as a Creative Approach

Jean Hoffman Lawanda chose to write her mother's story as historical fiction instead of a traditional biography due to the lack of a detailed manuscript. Unlike her father's memoir, which relied heavily on existing documents and personal narratives, this new work emerged from a combination of family storytelling and historical research. She unearthed a wealth of photographs and official documents that provided context and detail but required creative interpretation to fill in narrative gaps, particularly around moments that were not explicitly documented. This choice allowed her to explore the emotional ground of her family's story more freely, creating a nuanced portrayal of their experiences rather than sticking to strictly factual recounting.

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