wed13apr12:30 pmwed2:00 pmThe Flight from Hitler's Germany: The Fateful Voyage of the St. Louis
(Wednesday) 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
In 1939, the luxury liner MS St.Louis began a voyage from Hitler’s Germany to Cuba with 937 Jewish refugees on board. With landing permits secured, these refugees looked forward to safe passage. But on reaching Cuba, most of the refugees were turned away. Subsequent pleas to the U.S. government for entry were refused, and the St. Louis was forced to return to Europe where many of the passengers perished in the Holocaust. This two-part presentation is about the international refugee crisis in Europe in the late 1930s caused by Hitler and the story of one of the passengers who survived.
Paul Shankman is professor emeritus at CU-Boulder and teaches a course on the Holocaust. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1973. Paul will be joined by Joan Nagel, a retired Boulder attorney whose father’s uncle and family were passengers on the St. Louis, and Sandra Saltrese-Miller, a Boulder attorney who has specialized in immigration cases, including deportations, for decades
“We welcome the Israeli government’s suspension of legislative consideration of judicial reform measures.
“The last three months have been painful to watch and yet a textbook case of democracy in action. We respect the political leaders, business executives, community activists, cultural figures, and ordinary Israelis who took to the streets, exercising their love of country, and their passion for democracy.
“As a next step, we encourage all Knesset factions, coalition and opposition alike, to use this time to build a consensus that includes the broad support of Israeli civil society.
“Israel’s political leaders must insist on a more respectful tone and debate. A hallmark of democracy is public consensus and mutual consideration.
“The Conference of Presidents, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, AIPAC, and the Jewish Federations of North America will continue to confer with Israel’s governmental and civic leaders to ensure that the views of American Jewry are represented in the discussion. We are confident the resilience of Israeli democracy will successfully overcome the tremendous challenges it faces.”