When Shanghai’s Nazis Threatened to Kill Jews Over a Play

In 1940 Austrian Jewish refugees sought to stage an opera written by two refugees in Shanghai, Mark Siegelberg and Hans Schubert, and specifically about China called Die Masken Fallen (The Mask Falls).  It dealt with local issues and they got local refugee stars – such as the formerly well known Vienna born silent movie actress and cabaret star living in Shanghai Lily Flohr (who I’ve written about before – here and here). There was a story line about mixed marriages in China and direct criticism of National Socialism and the Nazis.

The German Consulate in Shanghai, under the control of the Nazis, took a major dislike to the play. Two early performances were held in the secure environment of the British Press Attache’s Hall on the Bund. However, further performances were reportedly stopped after the German Consulate told the organisers, and Paul Komor of the Jewish emigre committee, that if performances continued reprisals would be taken against the Jewish community left in Nazi controlled Europe. Additionally the Shanghai Nazis threatened to take action against Jewish refugees in Shanghai too. Click here (Gestapo threat stops jewish play – CWR Nov 28 1940) to see a scan of the article reporting this provocation and attack on the Jewish refugees in Shanghai by the Germans from the China Weekly Review (an excellent publication long edited by the great JB Powell) in November 1940.

Below, an advert for the production in Shanghai