Philippines saved 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust

Jewish Refugees, Philippines

The Holocaust was a genocide that took place during World War II, primarily in Europe. The Nazi regime, led by Adolf Hitler, targeted and systematically murdered approximately six million Jews, as well as millions of other people including Romani people, disabled individuals, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and political dissidents.

The Holocaust began in 1933 when Hitler and the Nazi party came to power in Germany, and it ended in 1945 with the defeat of Nazi Germany by Allied forces. The Nazis used a variety of methods to carry out the genocide, including mass shootings, gas chambers, and forced labor.

The Holocaust is considered one of the greatest atrocities in human history, and it had a profound impact on the world. It led to the creation of Israel as a Jewish homeland, and it also resulted in the establishment of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of every human being and seeks to prevent future human rights violations.

It is important to remember the Holocaust and honor the memory of its victims, and to continue to work towards creating a world where such atrocities never happen again.

Jewish Refugees, Philippines

In 1939, Philippine President Manuel Quezon had proposed accepting 10,000 Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria, but the plan did not come to fruition due to various reasons, including the outbreak of the war.

However, some individual Jews did make it to the Philippines during the war, often after fleeing other countries in Asia or after being rescued by American forces. The most famous case of Jewish refugees in the Philippines during the war was that of the Frieder brothers, who established a cigar-making business in Manila and brought in over a thousand Jews to work for them.

The most significant group of Jewish refugees in the Philippines during the war were those who arrived in Manila in 1937-1938 from Germany and Austria, known as the "Manila Jews". This group consisted of around 1,200 individuals, most of whom were able to escape to the United States or other destinations before the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in 1941.

Jewish Refugees, Philippines

Other Jewish refugees who arrived in the Philippines during the war often did so after fleeing other countries in Asia, such as Shanghai or Hong Kong, or after being rescued by American forces. The number of Jews who arrived in the Philippines in this way is difficult to determine, but it is believed to be only a few hundred.

Overall, while the Philippines was not a major destination for Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, the country did play a role in providing a safe haven for some Jews and other refugees fleeing persecution during the war.

The ‘Open Doors’ monument in the Israeli city of Rishon Lezion celebrates Filipino friendship with the Jewish People.

The monument is a testament to the “open door” policy of the Philippine Commonwealth under then President Manuel L. Quezon, who welcomed thousands of Jewish people fleeing the Holocaust in Europe in 1939. Quezon issued 10,000 visas to Jewish immigrants escaping the Nazi genocide.