Jean Hoffmann Lewanda

My fascination with Chinese Culture started from the moment I understood that my mother was born in North China and my father was saved from the Holocaust by escaping to Shanghai. After a career in Special Education and raising a family, I am thrilled to be publishing accounts of Jewish life in China. Witness to History: From Vienna to Shanghai was published in November 2021. It is my father's memoir, Paul Hoffmann, and documents his incredible life journey. My new book, Shalama: My 96 Seasons in China will be released on October 15, 2024 and tells the story of Russian Jews, my mother's family, that escaped the pogroms and Bolshevik Revolution to live safely in China. There are so many more stories to tell and I continue researching, looking for my next book to write.

I now live in Yardley, Pennsylvania. It has been extremely rewarding to see the interest that my books have generated about a relatively small group of Jews in the Diaspora. I thoroughly enjoy speaking to groups of all ages on this topic and look forward to more occasions to do so.