As the world watched Holocaust survivors gathered at Auschwitz last month in memory of the 60th anniversary of its liberation, thousands of kilometers away in Taiwan, members of Taipei's small Jewish community still felt the sting of horror that has haunted their families for more than half a century.
\nThe existence of a Jewish community in Taiwan may be little known to locals. However, it has been here since the 1950s, when US troops were stationed in Taiwan.
\nThe current community dates as far back as the mid-1970s, when foreign corporate executives began bringing their families with them to Taiwan while on international assignments.
\nDr Ephraim Einhorn, Taiwan's one and only rabbi, has dedicated himself to serving the Jewish community for decades.
\nEven in Taiwan, it almost seems difficult to come across a Jewish person who cannot tell of a family tragedy that is linked to the Holocaust.
\nThe massacre ended the lives of 6 million Jews, almost one-third of the Jewish population prior to World War II.
\nThe rabbi's granddaughter every year pays homage in Auschwitz to a great-grandparent -- Einhorn's mother -- that she never managed to meet in person.
\nIn addition to his mother, Einhorn's father was killed in Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp outside of Berlin.
\nEinhorn condemned governments for turning their backs on desperate Jews.
\n"The world stood by and did nothing. All countries, by and large, shut their doors, [while] people were desperate to get visas to go to other countries," Einhorn said in a low tone, a marked contrast to his normally cheerful demeanor.
\nBut the Austrian-born rabbi also tells the story of Dr Fengshan Ho (
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
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