5月20日下午，我们10年级的学生杨一森（Ethan Yang）走进清华大学，向通识教育《犹太文明》课程的学生讲述自己制作的、关于二战时期上海人民收留犹太难民的纪录片《Stranded in Shanghai》。
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在中国最高学府的讲台上分享自己的项目，Ethan说，有点紧张，但是，也特别有成就感：“上海人民收留犹太难民是一段并不被很多人知道、但又非常重要的历史。这段历史让我们看到，即便在二战那样一段到处是战争和死亡的岁月里，依然有光明和希望存在，依然有人性的光辉。它启发我们思考面对人生的态度——无论什么时候，无论多么困难，都要坚持下去！”
1
源起
Ethan制作的记录片是他的IBMYP个人项目的作品。他的父亲是中国人，母亲是犹太人。他一直希望完成一个能够串联起自己的中国文化和犹太文化的个人项目。
疫情期间，Ethan的妈妈前往上海参加一个犹太社区的传统仪式，地点就是二战时被中国收留的犹太人的会堂。这让Ethan了解到，原来中国人民和犹太民族之间还有这样一段渊源——
1938年到1945年间，欧洲的犹太人受到纳粹迫害，陆陆续续有大约2万人逃亡到上海。这里的人民接纳了他们，提供了避难所，让他们得以幸存、喘息，并最终陆续前往安全地定居生活。
这样的往事触动了Ethan：“我想让更多人知道这段历史，而且决定用纪录片这种形式，因为它更直观、更打动人。另外，这个项目恰好连接了我的犹太背景和中国背景。”
2
行动
Ethan的想法得到家人和老师的大力支持——在家人帮助下，他独自前往上海犹太难民纪念馆做义工并采访；个人项目指导老师Joseph LeDoux则为他不断提供落实和完善项目的意见和建议......
Ethan还前往美国旧金山，访问了3位在上海生活过的犹太难民。
感动于Ethan的执着和真诚，受访者为Ethan提供了难得的一手信息。要知道，对于他们而言，多年之后再去回忆那段艰难的岁月，无异于重新揭开伤疤。
受访者Paul Schreier让Ethan特别感慨。1939年，Paul从维也纳逃到上海，此后的10年间，他一直生活在这里，做过修车工和摄影师，后来迁居美国旧金山。他经历了战争带来的绝望，又在中国找到了活下去的希望。98岁的他对Ethan说，他感激中国人民的收留，否则他会像其他很多欧洲犹太人那样，不是死于战火便是被抓进集中营，他觉得自己是幸运的，因为他活下来了。
Ethan和受访人Paul Schreier（左）
结束采访后，Ethan又前往上海，在犹太难民纪念馆做义工，边为观众做讲解，边了解更多信息，为纪录片做准备。“让我特别感触的是，不像那些为去世的人设立的纪念馆，这是一座为幸存的、活着的人设立的纪念馆。”Ethan说。
去年11月到12月，Ethan开始为纪录片收集更多资料，包括300张图片和50多段视频资料。之后他又花费了2个月把所有素材剪辑成近30分钟的纪录片。
至此，距离起意制作纪录片，已经过去了大概一年的时间。
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成长
如果把“热爱”比喻成种子，那么Ethan多年养成的学习习惯和技能就是培育这颗种子的沃土，而这部纪录片便是经过长久时间，初步成才的苗木：
在个人项目展上，他的纪录片给所有参观者留下了深刻的印象。无论是老师还是家长，还是同学，都为他关注这个项目的独特视角和付出感到由衷的认可。
对Ethan而言，最大的收获是人生的感悟。“访问这些犹太难民幸存者让我意识到，对生活总要抱有希望和期待，不要放弃，要努力坚持下来！”
他反思说，“还有就是教育的重要。即便在上海避难，那些犹太人也没有放弃教育，他们为孩子组织起学校。值得一提的是，学生们在学校里学习的不是他们原来国家的语言，比如德语、西班牙语，而是英语，因为他们判断以后很可能永远不会回到原来的国家去了，而英语是世界语言。这样的教育为他们日后前往世界各地生活和工作奠定了基础。”
Ethan的纪录片还参选了费城犹太电影和媒体奖，无论在评价中能走到多远，他都很欣慰：“我已经收获了很多，了解了这么多历史，见到经历丰富的人，做博物馆的志愿者，在清华大学分享，参加电影节……我会把纪录片记录下去，去探寻和记录流散在世界其他地方的犹太人……”
像Ethan这样围绕自己真心热爱的主题做或广泛或深入的探究，是启明星学生常规的学习模式。我们相信，在下一个学年，会有更多像Ethan的纪录片一样精彩的项目涌现！
On the afternoon of May 20th , our 10th grade student Ethan Yang walked into the Tsinghua University campus and gave a presentation about his documentary film "Stranded in Shanghai" to the students of Tsinghua's general education course "Jewish Civilization".
Screenshot of the Documentary
Screenshot of the Documentary
Screenshot of the Documentary
Screenshot of the Documentary
Screenshot of the Documentary
Screenshot of the Documentary
Screenshot of the Documentary
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Sharing his project on the podium of China's top university, Ethan said he was a bit nervous, but also felt a great sense of accomplishment:"The story of the Shanghai people sheltering Jewish refugees is a little-known but very important part of history. It inspires us to reflect on our attitude towards life — no matter how difficult the circumstances, we must persevere, because even in the war-torn years of World War II, there was still light and hope, there was still the brilliance of human nature..."
1
Origin
Ethan's documentary film is the result of his IBMYP Personal Project. His father is Chinese and his mother is Jewish. He always hoped to complete a personal project to connect his Chinese culture and Jewish background.
During the pandemic, Ethan's mother went to Shanghai to attend an important ceremony of a Jewish teenager, which took place in the synagogue where Jewish refugees were sheltered during the war. This made Ethan realize that there was a deep connection between the Chinese people and the Jewish nation.
Between 1938 and 1945, as European Jews were persecuted by the Nazis, about 20,000 of them fled to Shanghai. The local people here in China welcomed them, provided them with shelter, and allowed them to survive and eventually settle in safe places.
This history touched Ethan: "I want more people to know this story, and I decided to use a documentary film format, because it is more direct and moving. In addition, this project happens to connect my Jewish background and Chinese background."
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Action
Ethan's idea was strongly supported by his family and teachers—his family helped him contact the Jewish Refugees Museum in Shanghai for interviews; his personal project mentor, Daystar teacher Joseph LeDoux, also nurtured his work by providing him with opinions and suggestions for implementing and improving the project.
In the second half of 2023, Ethan went to San Francisco, USA, and interviewed three Jewish refugees who had lived in Shanghai.
Moved by Ethan's perseverance and sincerity, the interviewees provided him with rare first-hand information.After all, for them, reminiscing about those difficult years was like reopening old wounds.
Interviewee Paul Schreier particularly touched Ethan. In 1939, Paul fled from Vienna to Shanghai, and for the next 10 years, he lived there, working as a car mechanic and photographer, and later emmigrating to San Francisco. He experienced the despair brought by the war, but also found hope to live on in China.At the age of 98, he told Ethan that he was grateful for the shelter provided by the Chinese people, otherwise he would have been killed in the war or sent to a concentration camp like many other European Jews, and he felt lucky to have survived.
Ethan and Paul Schreier (left)
After the interviews, Ethan also went to Shanghai and volunteered at the local Jewish Refugees Museum, giving lectures to audiences while learning more information for his documentary. "What particularly impressed me is that, unlike the memorials set up for the murdered or deceased Jews, this is a memorial for the survivors, for the living," Ethan said.
From November to December last year, Ethan colleceted even more materials for the documentary, including 300 photos and more than 50 video clips. He then spent two months editing all of the materials into a nearly 30-minute documentary film.
In total, it has been about a year since he started making the documentary.
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Growth
If "passion" is likened to a seed, then the learning habits and skills that Ethan has cultivated over the years are the fertile soil nurturing this seed, and the documentary film is the young sapling that matured, and, after a long time, is now blossoming and bearing fruit:
At the personal project exhibition, his documentary film left a deep impression on the audience. Whether they were teachers, parents, or classmates, Ethan was sincerely admired and praised for his unique perspective and dedication.
For Ethan, the greatest gain is the realization of how experiences shape one’s perspective on life."Interviewing these Jewish refugee survivors made me realize that we must always have hope and expectations for life, never give up, and persevere!"
Ethan reflected, "And the importance of education.Even while taking refuge in Shanghai, those Jews did not abandon education, they organized schools for their children. It's worth mentioning that the students in the schools were not learning the languages of their original countries, such as German or Spanish, but rather English, because they judged that they would probably never return to their home countries, and English is a global language. This kind of education laid the foundation for their safe living and work in various parts of the world in the future."
Ethan's documentary film also was chosen to participate in the Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media Awards, and regardless of how far it goes in the evaluation, he is very happy: "I have already gained a lot, learned so much history, met people with rich experiences, volunteered at the museum, shared at Tsinghua University, and participated in the film festival... I will continue to record the documentary, and explore and record the stories of the Jews scattered around the world."
Students like Ethan, who delve deeply or widely into topics they are truly passionate about, often follow this learning model at Daystar. We believe that in the next school year, there will be even more exciting projects and learning fruits!