All Aboard to Shanghai

The journey to Shanghai was a rather long one. Initially, most people travelled to Shanghai on steamers from Italy. Many took a train from either Germany or Austria to Genoa, Italy and took the three- to four-week voyage through the Suez Canal. This was the route taken by Alfred’s sister, Gertrude, and the twelve other relatives who went to Shanghai.[1] Alfred believed his sister and the other relatives went on the Conte Verde. Rudolf, Anna, and Alfred took a different route. They left Vienna on November 23, 1938—shortly after Kristallnacht—this was coincidental because they had already made their plans before Kristallnacht transpired. They traveled by train to Moscow via Berlin and Warsaw. Alfred remembered the relief he felt crossing the border between Germany and Poland:

“You have to understand, the few months we were in Vienna after Hitler came and before we left, including Kristallnacht, was very traumatic. I mean, the Hitler Youth, and ‘Jews not allowed here!’ So, when I got out of Germany—when we finally crossed the Polish border…going east towards Moscow…the relief! And then, of course, everything else after that was fun!”[2]

[1] Alfred Brosan, “A Letter to My Grandchildren,” 2.

[2] Alfred Brosan Interview, December 5, 1991.

From Moscow they travelled on the Trans-Siberian Railroad to the Manchurian border, where they boarded a Japanese train to Harbin. In Harbin they were received by a local Russian Jewish organization and stayed there for five days. They then went from Harbin to Port Arthur (Dairen or Dalian), boarded a Japanese boat and journeyed to Shanghai.

Traveling to Shanghai became more difficult after war broke out in September 1939 and particularly difficult after Italy became involved in World War II in 1940. Often the refugees had no choice but to purchase first-class passenger tickets for the ships because frequently only first-class tickets were available.