Israel's Messenger on Albert Einstein's visit to Shanghai

''Israel's Messenger'' (), also known in Chinese as ''Youtai Yuebao'' (), was an English-language newspaper published in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

from 1904 to 1941. It was established by N.E.B. Ezra, who served as the paper's Editor-in-Chief for more than 30 years until his death in 1936, as the official newspaper of the Shanghai Zionist Association. It was one of China's oldest and most sophisticated Jewish periodicals, which also influenced the Jewish press in India.

History

''Israel's Messenger'' was founded in 1904 by the

Sephardi Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

Jewish businessman Nissim Elias Benjamin Ezra (1883–1936) as the official mouthpiece of the Shanghai Zionist Association, which had been established by Ezra the year before. Ezra served as the paper's Editor-in-Chief for more than 30 years until his death in 1936. In addition to promoting

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

, the paper reported on the activities of the Jewish communities in Shanghai and the rest of China, as well as world events. It was published fortnightly, and later monthly. ''Israel's Messenger'' was one of China's oldest and most sophisticated Jewish periodicals. It was also circulated in the United States, where it successfully positioned itself as the most authoritative Jewish voice from East Asia. The chief editor of the newspaper and other Zionist scholars cooperated with

Imperial Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

. Japanese military officer Koreshige Inuzuka said he tried to use the Jewish media, including ''Israel's Messenger'', to influence American opinion. Owing to financial difficulties, publication was suspended between February 1910 and September 1918, but the paper survived until its final issue appeared on 17 October 1941. The newspaper influenced the Jewish press in India. The Sargon brothers (Benjamin, Joseph, and David) of

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, who were nephews of N.E.B. Ezra, grew up reading ''Israel's Messenger''. Greatly influenced by Ezra's journalistic concepts, the brothers edited the ''Jewish Advocate'' (later renamed the ''Jewish Tribune'') in the 1930s, bringing it to a much higher level of professionalism than the older Jewish newspapers of Bombay.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Microfilm of ''Israel's Messenger''
on Jewsofchina.org {{Foreign-language newspapers in China 1904 establishments in China 1941 disestablishments in China Defunct newspapers published in China Jewish newspapers Jewish Chinese history Jews and Judaism in Shanghai Newspapers published in Shanghai Publications established in 1904 Publications disestablished in 1941 Zionism in China