2 — THE BULLETIN — Thursday, July 12. 1979
IF THE OLD ADAGE that History repeats itself is true, then the world now stands on the brink of another Holocaust.
This time the "unwanted" are not from Germany or Austria . . . but from Vietnam.
This time no ship is called the St. Louis, but once again there are men, women and children who are considered stateless and are still forbidden to disembark in so-called lands of freedom.
It is also one of the great ironies of History that this time also, some of the warships ordered to intercept and prevent the refugee flotillas from reaching a haven, fly the Union Jack, the same colors flown when those earlier little "illegal" ships — one of them called Exodus — braved the stormy Mediterranean in often futile efforts to reach the shores of Palestine.
This time none of the overcrowded vessels has the name "STRUMA" painted on its bow, but many of them without that name are just as unseaworthy and like the original Struma, are being towed out to sea where the "passengers" will meet the same dreadful fate.
There is yet another similarity: The Secretary-General of the United Nations has called for a conference to deal with the problem. But those who are cognizant of *Evian* and 'JBermuda* will be pardoned for not being overly optimistic at the results of such a conference.
Back in 1938 the President of the United States also convened a "Conference on Refugees". But when the representatives of 32 nations began their deliberations at Evian-les-Bains, neither Roosevelt nor his British and French counterparts were prepared to lead the way and provide a sanctuary for substantial numbers of Jewish refugees.
Accordingly, the delegates representing Britain's dominions — nations such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada with vast undeveloped tracts of land — followed the example of the big powers and kept out the "foreigners."
Thus the representatives of Australia and New Zealand at Evian explained that it was their countries* respective immigration policies to give priority to British settlers. They even added a racial twist that must have delighted Nazi
FORTY-ONE YEARS AGO: Flames take hold of a synagogue near Berlin on Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany.
observers who were waiting in the wings.
THE AUSTRALIAN delegate, Lt. Col. T, W. White, DFC, V.D., M:P., Minister of Trade and Customs, declared: "It will no doubt be appreciated also that as we have no real racial, problem, we are not desirous of importing one by encouraging any scheme of large-scale foreign migration."
A Jewish newsman at the conference, David Porter, further reported: "New Zealand's delegate, W. B. Buredkin, emphasized that immigrants other than of British birth and British blood (what sweet music to Nazi ears!) will have to satisfy the very strict individual demands of immigration laws."
The delegate at Evian of the largest British dominion, Canada, was Hume Wrong, our then permanent representative to the League of Nations. These are his words: "Canadian legislation does not permit the establishment of immigration quotas. For the last eight years immigration to Canada from the European continent has been limited to persons who in each case by a special order are exempt from a special prohibition of entry."
No wonder all of the smaller nations followed suit. Who would expect Chile or Ecuador or Mexico or Uruguay or Venezuela or Peru or Argentina or Brazil or Nicaragua or the Honduras or Panama to offer anything more than "sympathy and regret."
There was only one exception: Senor Virgilio Trujillo Molina, of the tiny republic of San : PpnillBigo, made ho grandiose speeches. Instead he offered to take in nioieTrefugeesf^crrata^ t^^^^ the other nations, thereby putting to shame even the conference's sponsoring governments.
On July 15, 1938 the Evian Conference adjourned. By their failure to come to the rescue of the then 400,000 Jews of Germany and Austria, the "civilized" nations had sent a clear message that they didn't much care how the Nazis solved their "Jewish problem."
THAT THE NAZIS got the message is a matter of public record. Immediately after Evian, the Danziger Vorposten commented: "We see that one likes to pity the Jews as long as one can use this pity for a wicked agitation against Germany, but that no state is prepared to fight the cultural disgrace of central Europe by accepting a few thousand Jews. Thus the conference serves to justify Germany's policy against Jewry."
But the Germans had another way of testing the resolve of the other nations. In the fall of the same year, on the night of Nov. 9, they waged a full-scale pogrom against the Jews. Cold statistics can not convey the suffering of Germany's Jewish citizens that night: 1950 synagogues burned to the ground; 800 shops destroyed; 7,500 shops looted; 20,000 Jews arrested and sent to concentration camps. There was so much broken glass in the streets, the event became known as "Kristallnacht."
Six months later a ship called the St. Louis set sail from Hamburg bound for Cuba with 936 passengers, all but six of them Jewish refugees. They were not told that the President of Cuba had signed an order eight days earlier invalidating their landing certificates.
The saga of the St. Louis began when ine ship docked in Havana on May 27. At first no one was allowed ashore, then 28 passengers were permitted to leave the ship. (Of the latter 22 were refugees who had hired lawyers back in Europe and had obtained special Cuban visas. The other six comprised a Cuban couple and four visiting Spaniards.)
The remaining 908 refugees were forced to remain on board, their hopes kept high by strenijous e/forts of the ship's captain and the JDC to get fhe Cuban government to change its position. In the end, the ship sailed back along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. while frantic calls were made to obtain Washington's permission to land the refugees. Anchored off Miami, Florida, the
(Continued on page 3 — See; JEWS WERE ONCE WAT-PEOPLE')
BY HfNRY lEONARD
^ SATIPTV nP FTHICAL DEVOTION
"Ah, Molly, if we Jews could only have something as lovely as that 23rd Psalm!"
Iran youth adjust to Israel schools
JERUSALEM — Young children from Iran, who have come to Israel, are the equal of the best of Israeli youth, said Benjamin Alon,
Thought fw the Week
from the TALMUD
Definition: Ldshon Hora—slander; evil talk: a derogatory or harmful statement, even if true
Loshon hora kills three people: the speaker, the listener and the subject.
(Erchin 15 b — Chofetz Chayim)
Reenember the Sabbath
Friday, July 13, 8:55 p.m. Sedra Pinchas, Numbers Shabbat ends, Havdallah July 14, 9:55 p.m.
Friday, July 20,8:48 p.in.
Sedra Matot-Mas*ei, Numbers Shabbat ends, Havdsilsh July 21, 9:48 p.m.
Friday, July 27,8:40 p.m. Sedra Devarim, Deuteronomy Shabbat ends, Havdallah July 28, 9:40 p.m.
JEWISH CALENDAR LUACH5739 — 1979
Shiva Asar
BTammuz Rosh Chodesh Av Tisha B'Av Tu B'Av
Rosh Chodesh
Elul Rosh Hashanah
5740
head of Youth department of Jewish Agency.
Alon reports that the Iranian children are quick to learn and have a very strong sense of Jewish identity. They have little difficulty in adjusting to the Israeli schools and, in very short order, will catch up with their Israeli counterparts in their studies.
Alon further explained that the parents of these youngsters, who are still in Iran, have agreed to pay a yearly stipend for the upkeep of their children in Israel amounting to $2,500 per student.
In the last few months, some 650 Iranian children haye come to Israel on this program.
- DEATHS -
SYDNEY FINN June 26
ADELEBIGfO July 4
As anotti&r BuHatin community aervico 'faaturo. Deaths will be publishetf «veekly as they are regis-terad. — THE PUBLISHER.
Fast of Gedaliah Yom Kippur Sukkot
July 12 July 25 Aug. 2 Aug. 8
Aug. 23-24
Sept. 22-23
Sept. 24 Oct. 1 Oct. 6-14
Endorsed Appeals
Jewish Students ^Network* Campaign
July 1-31
Pioneer Women 'Chai* Campaign Aug. 15-Sept. 15
Social Calendar
—T—-—n- I --———BOM
Brier Home Annual Meeting July 18
Maccabiah Hadassah MDA Car Wash July 29>
Hadassah Medical Services Brunch Aug. 15
Hadassah MDA Garage Sale Aug. 26
THE JEWISH
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Thursday, July 12,1979
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JewKh w^c.^ VyP°?^3phical error advertising goods at less than the proper price, the Qoods rrmw 1 ?K ^ '"'"'^'^ '«"ers to the advertiser stating the correct price, but
dy not 08 sold at the price printed a^nd the difference, charged to the newspaper.
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