Netanyahus in China
Netanyahus in ChinaIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Jews no longer need to beg others to save them, as he began the second day of his China tour Tuesday with a visit at the Ohel Moshe synagogue, dedicated in 1927, which served refugees who fled from the Holocaust.

Netanyahu noted that he and his wife, Sarah, visited the synagogue 15 years ago, and that it has undergone extensive renovation since, which makes it possible for visitors "to experience the importance of the deeds that were done here and how important they were."

"When most of the world closed its gates before the Jews, Shanghai was one of the only places that opened its gates. Since then, the fate of Jews has changed meaningfully," he said.

"Seventy years ago, we could only beg to be saved," he explained. "Today we have a state of our own and an army of our own. We do not need to beg for salvation any more. We can defend ourselves."

Netanyahu wrote in the synagogue's guest book: "To the residents of the city of Shanghai and the Hongkau district – we will remember forever the shelter and grace you afforded our nation in the hellish days of the Nazis. Greetings from rebuilt Jerusalem."