On 11 December, the Hong Kong Jewish Historical Society (JHS) hosted a special Fireside Chat with guest speaker Mark Ejlenberg, who was visiting from Israel with his wife Vera.

Mark, Vera and their two small children first arrived in Hong Kong in the 1980s. At that time, Mark was a young banker from Holland, and he and his family immersed themselves in all aspects of Jewish life.

At the Fireside Chat, Mark shared his interesting and entertaining insights about his efforts as one of the key catalysts bringing about a transformation of the Jewish Recreation Club (JRC) into a Jewish centre with purpose.

He recalled that, as a young Jewish boy growing up in the Netherlands, he came from an orthodox home. He was disappointed with the limited community services and felt an obligation to change things. At that time there were many strong religious families providing a host of important services such as kosher meat and together pushed the infrastructure to a new greater level.

He felt that his timeframe of Jewish life in Hong Kong was “meant to be – Beshert (Yiddish),” as he recalls. “Every chance meeting with a Jewish resident gave me the desire and impetus to improve the quality of Jewish life in Hong Kong.”