The Soviets charged the refugees exorbitant fees for the exit visas and travel expenses. The Joint and the Vaad Hatzalah provided funds for these costs, with Rav Avraham Kalmanowitz investing herculean efforts to ensure the Mir contingent were able to fund their escape. Many refugees sold their personal belongings. They then embarked on a 10-12 day train journey on the Trans-Siberian Railroad across the vast expanses of the Soviet Union, arriving in the port city of Vladivostok. From there the Sea of Japan was crossed and the refugees settled temporarily in Kobe and Yokohama.
The refugees received a generally warm reception from the local Japanese as well as the small local Jewish community. When it became evident that Curacao wasn’t going to be practical as a final destination, Japanese and Jewish activists interceded with the Japanese Imperial government to extend the refugee’s visas. As a result, the refugee community was able to remain in Japan for several months.
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The Machine Matzah Controversy
Beyond the Pale: Russian Jewry outside the Pale of Settlement
The Yeshiva Elite in 19th Century Lithuania
Censorship in Czarist Russia
Cantonists & The Czarist Military (+ Recap of a Trip to Ashkenaz/Germany) Featuring Dovi Safier
The Chassidic Movement in the Russian Empire
Russian Jewry under the Czars 1881-1914
Russian Jewry under the Czars 1772-1881
Galician Greatness: Rav Shlomo Kluger
The Legacy & Impact of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
The Life & Legacy of the Aruch Hashulchan
A Dream to Rebuild: The Early Years of Ponovezh Yeshiva
The Machal Fighters of 1948
The Great Shanghai Escape Part X
The Great Shanghai Escape Part IX
The Great Shanghai Escape Part VIII Featuring Dovi Safier
The Great Shanghai Escape Part VI
The Great Shanghai Escape Part V
The Great Shanghai Escape Part IV
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