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Finding Rosa: The Creation of Shanghai Angel

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With $2.50 in her pocket, Rosa Ginsberg left her family behind in Shanghai, China, in 1940 for an uncertain future in the United States. The 18-year-old native of Vienna landed at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, site of a U.S. immigration station that processed hundreds of thousands of immigrants from 1910 through 1940. She left Angel Island for the mainland based on a mostly true story.

In this lecture and performance adapted from her one-woman musical, Heather Klein, Rosa’s granddaughter, recounts how she discovered her grandmother’s story. Klein’s chronical of Rosa’s journey from Nazi-occupied Austria to Shanghai, China and finally Angel Island, drew heavily from archived materials: interrogation records, oral histories, interviews including the staff of Angel Island, CA Immigration Station and Dr. Manli Ho (daughter of Commander Feng Shan Ho). The result is a moving retelling of a young refugee woman on a dangerous journey that led to detainment on the basis of a lie.

Program is approximately 50 mins with 15 min audience Q&A and a Dessert Reception to follow.

Sponsor: Something Special Sunday

Admission: FREE with registration ($12 suggested donation)