Interested in the diversity of the Jewish experience? Like niche history?
Join the Baltimore Jewish Council for a screening of the animated film ‘A Jewish Girl in Shanghai.’
Sunday, May 3, 2026
3-5 p.m.
The Associated’s Goldsmith Campus, 5700 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore
REGISTER HERE
After the film screening, participants will hear from a speaker panel featuring current Holocaust Remembrance Committee member, Lisa Sparks, whose mother, Yvonne Daniel, was born in the Shanghai Ghetto to parents who had fled Nazi-occupied Europe. Yvonne’s story was a part of the Jewish Museum of Maryland’s prior exhibit on the Jews of Shanghai. Lisa will join in facilitated conversation with Beth Israel Congregation’s Rabbi Rachel Safman.
Speakers:
Rabbi Rachel Safman joined Beth Israel Congregation as its senior rabbi in July 2023, returning to her home state to lead a community that shared her people-centered approach to Jewish life.
A native of Gaithersburg, Maryland, where she attended and taught in the congregation now known as Kehillat Shalom, Rabbi Safman first trained for a career in academia, studying at Harvard, Johns Hopkins and Cornell. She wrote her dissertation on the AIDS epidemic in Northern Thailand and after graduation joined the faculty of the National University of Singapore.
During her years in Singapore, Rabbi Safman served as the president of the city-state’s progressive Jewish community, the United Hebrew Congregation; was an active participant in the ritual life of Singapore’s Baghdadi Orthodox community; and co-founded Gesher, a Jewish community forum that hosted eminent guest speakers, including Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsieng Loong.
Lisa Daniel Sparks moved to Baltimore at age 7 (after being born in NYC and then, living in NJ), so she considers Maryland home (to the dismay of her native New Yorker parents!). After graduating with a BA in Mass Communications from University of Delaware and a master’s in professional writing from Towson University, Lisa has worked in writing and editing for her entire career. Lisa is currently the Communications & Marketing Manager for the Johns Hopkins Information Technology team and has been with Johns Hopkins since 1997. She’s served on The Soul Center of Baltimore’s Launch Team for the past few years and serves as a mikvah guide at Beth El congregation. She joined the Holocaust Remembrance Committee as a way to honor and share her mother’s unusual Holocaust story. Lisa and her husband, Erik, have been married since 1993. They are the proud parents of Maddie (27), Max (25), and their adorable yet slightly crazy dogs, Monty and Minnie. Lisa loves working out (she’s a Peloton addict), yoga, reading, and traveling.
Light kosher fare will be provided. Registration is highly encouraged.
“A Jewish Girl in Shanghai” is set primarily in the Shanghai Ghetto during the Japanese occupation in World War II. The film follows Rina, a young Jewish girl, and her younger brother Mishalli, who have fled Europe in search of safety but are separated from their parents. They encounter A-Gen, a Chinese orphan boy who helps them navigate the challenges of their new life in Shanghai. Together, they form a strong bond and face the dangers posed by the occupying forces, including the Japanese army and their Nazi allies.
This film is notable for being the first animated Chinese film to address the Holocaust, marking an important step in fostering Jewish-Chinese relations. It has been well-received both in China and internationally, praised for its sensitive portrayal of the experiences of Jewish refugees in Shanghai, a city that served as a haven for many during the war.
