The story of a terrifyingly arduous journey that is only too resonant today, Above the Drowning Sea, narrated by Juliana Margulies, chronicles the dramatic escape of Jews from Europe on the eve of the Second World War.
As Nazism spread, Jewish refugees sought safe harbor from the coming Holocaust. No place would accept them—except the distant city of Shanghai. Still, to flee Europe required an elusive Chinese visa. Enter Ho Feng Shan, the Chinese Consul in Vienna who braved both the Gestapo and his own government so as to play a pivotal role in bringing the refugees to safety.
Above the Drowning Sea is a documentary with the sweep and stakes of a historical epic. It is at once heroic and harrowing—and a cautionary tale for our troubled times.
