IN PICTURES: 26 family stories that tell history of Shanghai's Jewish community

Kadoories and Sassoons among those to relate sometimes delightful anecdotes in this insightful book about the lives of Baghdadi Jews in Shanghai from mid-19th century on, through two world wars and waves of refugees, until the Communist revolution that saw some move to Hong Kong .

An initial flick through Maisie Meyer's book provides some very familiar names - the Kadoories, the Sassoons, all descendants of Baghdad's Jewish community, who made their way to Shanghai and other parts of Asia to escape prejudice and pogroms back home. This is a collection of 26 biographical accounts taken from Jewish families who first came to the Treaty Port of Shanghai in the mid-19th century.

Meyer interviewed a number of the 20th-century descendants herself, some of whom have since died. She also uses diary accounts and archives to provide a real family insight into Sephardic Jewish traditions, celebrations, marriages, food and worship. Some of the earlier photos show women in Baghdadi dress with bells on little chains adorning their ankles. Meyer has written the interviews well and edited other accounts in such a way that the voice and individual character of the teller come through, even though I was confused at times whether we were in Shanghai or Hong Kong.