Six months earlier, Hannah had persuaded her father to join Esther and her at the Ohel Rachel Synagogue for a Saturday Sabbath service. While Franz had initially attended out of obligation, he soon came to look forward to the services. He enjoyed the ambience. The cavernous synagogue, with its marble pillars, massive chandeliers, high balconies and perfect acoustics, reminded him more of a fine Viennese theatre than a house of worship. During the services, Franz’s thoughts often drifted to his family. He imagined his father would have found his display of religiousness amusing. But Karl would have approved, regardless of his brother’s motives. Franz did not feel much closer to finding God, but he took unexpected solace in the traditions and rituals. And he found a renewed sense of community among his fellow Jews, inspired by their unflappable faith in the face of such persecution. The congregation had thinned considerably since the attack on Pearl Harbor. Many wealthier Sephardic Jews, including Sir Victor Sassoon, had fled Shanghai before the Japanese takeover.
