Yanky Fachler
Don’t Ever Forget His Name: Why Japanese Children Were Taught to Immortalize an American Jewish Banker

The grandson of the commander-in-chief of the victorious Japanese army in the Russo-Japanese War never forgot what he was told in nursery school: “If the Jewish Mr. Schiff from the United States had not stood on the side of Japan during the war, Japan would never have been victorious. Don’t ever forget his name.” In this talk, Yanky explores the relationship between banker Jacob Schiff and Japanese diplomat Takahashi Koerkiyo, and how their relationship impacted 20,000 Jews in Shanghai during the Holocaust.