Guide to the Rena Krasno Collection

Special Collections & Archives

University Library

California State University, Northridge

18111 Nordhoff Street

Northridge, CA 91330-8326

URL: https://library.csun.edu/SCA

Contact: https://library.csun.edu/SCA/Contact

© Copyright 2020 Special Collections & Archives. All rights reserved.

Contributing Institution: Special Collections & Archives

Title: Rena Krasno Collection

Creator: Krasno, Rena, 1923-2009

Identifier/Call Number: OCH.RKC

Extent: 9.04 linear feet

Date (inclusive): 1922-2009

Abstract: Rena Krasno was born in Shanghai in 1923. Her parents, two stateless Russian Jews, fled Russia two years before her birth. Krasno grew up in a Jewish community in Shanghai, but fled to Israel in 1949 just before communist forces took control of Shanghai. She held a prestigious position as translator for the United Nations, and was a published author. Krasno wrote several books about World War II in Shanghai, her life in Japan, and her Jewish heritage, as well as essays regarding Jewish and Chinese history. The collection consists of documents, correspondence, presentation notes, and research papers regarding Rena's life in Shanghai, Japan, and in the United States, and documents her research, involvement with various Jewish organiations, and experiences living in wartime Shanghai.

Language of Material: German, English, Hebrew, Japanese, Polish, Russian

Biographical Information:

Rena Krasno was born in Shanghai, China in 1923. Her parents, two stateless Russian Jews, fled Russia two years before her birth. Krasno grew up in a Jewish community in Shanghai and attended the French Municipal College where she earned her Brevet Superieur and Baccalaureate (Philosophy Section). She later entered the Faculty of Medicine at the Jesuit Aurora University (now called Shanghai School of Medicine #2), where she studied for two years during World War II. She left Shanghai for Israel in April of 1949, just one month before communist forces took over the city.

Due to Krasno's language skills in English, French, Russian, Hebrew, Spanish, and German, she was able to obtain a prestigious position as translator for the United Nations. She also worked as a freelance interpreter for international organizations (Unesco, ILO, FAO, the Olympic Committee at the Winter Games in Sapporo, etc.) in Europe and Asia. In Japan, Krasno was a frequent interpreter for the National Institute of Educational Research (Tokyo) and worked for Simul International and I.S.S., and also served as Honorary Chancellor of Austria in Seoul, Korea.

Krasno was also a published author. She wrote several books about wartime in Shanghai, her life in Japan, and her Jewish heritage as well as essays regarding Jewish and Chinese history. One book in particular entitled, That Last Glorious Summer, 1939: Shanghai-Japan, is based on Krasno's diary as a young teenager on a summer vacation in Japan on the eve of war. Additionally, Krasno shared her life experience and historical knowledge as a guest speaker for numerous organizations such as the Jewish Working Women's Network of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region. Krasno died in 2009.

Scope and Contents

The Rena Krasno Collection is divided into three series: Personal Materials (1928-2009), Professional Works and Presentations (1948-2009), and Research Materials (1922-2009).

Series I, Personal Materials, includes correspondence, photographs, biographical information on Krasno, documents related to her family, including her father D.B. Rabinovich, and articles about Krasno.

Series II, Professional Works and Presentations, is divided into two subseries: Presentations (1995-2007) and Authored Works (1948-2009). The Presentations subseries consists of correspondence, articles, transcripts, advertisements, and other documents related to multiple presentations and speeches given by Krasno. The Authored Works subseries contains drafts, corrections, reviews, press, and other documents related to articles and books written by Krasno, most notably Strangers Always - A Jewish Family in Wartime Shanghai, Struggle in Shanghai: Historic Journals of Fred Marcus, and Once Upon a Time in Shanghai: A Jewish Woman's Journey Through the 20th Century China .

Series III, Research Materials, is divided into two subseries: Articles and Publications (1927-2009) and General Research (1922-2005). The Articles and Publications subseries consists of publications, including both newspaper and scholarly articles, related to Krasno's research. The General Research subseries consists of articles, correspondence, programs, narratives, and other documents collected by Krasno on Shanghai, Jewish refugees, and other Old China Hands.

Arrangement of Materials:

Series I: Personal Materials, 1928-2009

Series II: Professional Works and Presentations, 1948-2009

Subseries A: Presentations, 1995-2007

Subseries B: Authored Works, 1948-2009

Series III: Research Materials, 1922-2009

Subseries A: Articles and Publications, 1927-2009

Subseries B: General Research, 1922-2005

Related Material

Rena Krasno papers at the Hoover Institution Archives

Conditions Governing Access:

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred Citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materials guide.

Processing Information:

Tim Kaufler, 2012

Jessica Geiser, 2013

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Maps

Documents

Photographs

Audiovisual materials

Series I: Personal Materials, 1928-2009

Box 1, Folder 1

Articles on Rena Krasno, 1993-2007

Box 1, Folder 2

Biographical Information

Box 1, Folder 3

Rabinovich Family Documents, 1916-1949

Box 1, Folder 4

Building Plans for Jewish Prayer House Designed by Gabriel Rabinovich, 1928

Box 1, Folder 5

Correspondence from D.B. Rabinovich regarding Japanese Officials that Helped Jews During World War II, 1968

Box 1, Folder 6

Shanghai Oral History Project, 1994

Box 1, Folder 7

Correspondence with Sheila, 1943-1946

Box 1, Folder 8

General Correspondence, 1949-1979

Box 1, Folder 9

General Correspondence, 1992-1999

Box 1, Folder 10

General Correspondence, 2003-2009

Box 1, Folder 11

Correspondence with Christopher Choa and Tess Johnston regarding Jewish Memorial in Shanghai, 2004-2005

Box 7, Folder 1

Photographs, circa 1915-circa 1945

Box 7, Folder 2

Photographs, 1930-1939

Box 7, Folder 3

Photographs, 1940-1949

Box 7, Folder 4

Photographs, 1994-1997

Box 7, Folder 5

Photographs, 2007

Box 7, Folder 6

Photographs, 2009

Box 11, Item 1

McTyeirean Yearbook, 1941

Box 11, Item 2

Krasno, Rena; Berlin Identification card, 1997

Box 11, Item 3

Krasno, Rena; KMVT interview DVD, 2005

Box 11, Item 4

Legendary Sin Cities Shanghai DVD

Box 11, Item 5

Shanghai Cloth

Series II: Professional Works and Presentations, 1948-2009

Subseries A: Presentations, 1995-2007

Box 1, Folder 12

Exile Shanghai Documentary, 1997

Box 1, Folder 13

"Flucht Nach Shanghai" Conference - Salzburg, Austria, 1995

Box 1, Folder 14

"From Kaifeng to Shanghai - Jews in China" Colloquium - Sankt Augustin, Germany, 1997

Box 1, Folder 15

Miscellaneous Presentations Given by Krasno

Box 1, Folder 16

"Paris et l'émigration russe" Colloquium - Paris, France, 2000-2001

Box 1, Folder 17

Shanghai Speaking Events, 2007

Subseries B: Authored Works, 1948-2009

Box 2, Folder 1

Honor Scroll - Shanghai Askenazi Jewish Community by Leo Hanin and Rena Krasno, 1994

Box 2, Folder 2

Miscellaneous Essays and Articles by Rena Krasno, 1948-1980

Box 2, Folder 3

Once Upon a Time in Shanghai - Manuscript

Box 2, Folder 4

Once Upon a Time in Shanghai - Supporting Documents and Photographs

Box 2, Folder 5

Stranger Always - Corrections, 1992

Box 2, Folder 6

Stranger Always - Event at St. Ignatius College Preparatory, San Francisco, 1997

Box 2, Folder 7

Stranger Always - Press and Related Events, 1992-1999

Box 2, Folder 8

Struggle in Shanghai by Audrey Friedman Marcus and Rena Krasno - Draft Copy, 2007

Box 2, Folder 9

Struggle in Shanghai - Events and Publicity Documents, 2009

Box 2, Folder 10

Struggle in Shanghai - Fred Marcus Memorial Program, 2002

Series III: Research Materials, 1922-2009

Subseries A: Articles and Publications, 1927-2009

Box 3, Folder 1

Articles on the Jewish Population of Shanghai, 1927-2007

Box 3, Folder 2

Articles on Jewish Populations Worldwide, 1976-1992

Box 3, Folder 3

Articles on Kaifeng Jews, 1984-1987

Box 3, Folder 4

Articles from Magen David, 1939

Box 3, Folder 5

Articles on Other China Hands in Shanghai

Box 3, Folder 6

Articles on Shanghai's History, 1945-circa 1980

Box 3, Folder 7

Articles on Various Individuals, 1988-2006

Box 3, Folder 8

"A Brief History of McTyeire School for Girls" by Jean F. Craig, 1982

Box 3, Folder 9

"Le Calendrier Chinois" by Rachel Casey, 2007

Box 3, Folder 10

"The Censorship of Hebrew Books" by William Popper, 1969

Box 3, Folder 11