JEWISH COMMUNITY IN TIANJIN.

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Extensively signed certificate of appreciation presented to Leo Gershevich. A gift commemorating Gershevich's two decades of service as the backbone of Tianjin's thriving Jewish diaspora. The signatories include the representatives of the city's seven leading Jewish organizations and twenty-eight other prominent individuals. Of these seven groups, he served as the honorary president of four: Tientsin Hebrew Association, Tientsin Jewish School, the Jewish Club ("Kunst"), and the Jewish Benevolent Society.Leo Gershevich (1878-1950) played a central part in establishing a safe, vibrant community in Tianjin. At the start of the 20th century, less than a dozen Jewish families lived in the city. The Russian Revolution brought a fresh wave of migrants to China, and the number of families soon surpassed 500. In 1920, under Gershevich's leadership, the community formed the Hebrew Association of Tientsin, and in subsequent years it also established a hospital, the benevolent society to help new arrivals, and the school (1925). The dramatic society, formed in 1928, rapidly evolved into a social club named Kunst, boasting a restaurant, meeting spaces, a library of 5,000 volumes, and a theatre. In 1933, a new Tientsin Hebrew Association, run by the heads of the various groups, was established to co-ordinate all activities.Having nurtured Jewish civil society for over a decade, Gershevich accepted the position of the association's first chairman and remained at the heart of daily life for

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