MANY people are quite familiar with German industrialist Oskar Schindler and Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg for saving the lives of thousands of Jews from the jaws of death by the demagogic Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
However, a lot of people did not know until now that the Philippines offered them a haven to escape the horror.
The Philippines, then a Commonwealth of the United States under the leadership of President Manuel Luis Quezon, expressed willingness to provide a home here in the country for the persecuted Jews.
To enlighten the younger generation of Filipinos on the humanitarian act of Quezon and the Filipinos, the Marikina City government, led by Mayor Del de Guzman, and the Embassy of Israel in the Philippines, led by Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines, Effie Ben Matityau, opened an exhibit underscoring Marikina’s role during World War II.
It particularly highlighted the welcoming of Jewish refugees at the then-Mariquina Hall (the current site of the Philippine School for Business and the Arts on the corner of Katipunan Avenue and Aurora Boulevard).
The weeklong exhibit was part of the 385th Foundation Day of Marikina City, with the theme “Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Present, Envisioning the Future.”
Mariquina Hall was a property bought by Quezon for his family. But he did not hesitate to donate it for a noble cause.
He got valuable support in this humanitarian endeavor from his poker buddies: American High Commissioner to the Philippines Paul McNutt; then-Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the aide of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who later became the Allied supreme Commander in Europe during World War II; and Jewish businessman Philip Frieder.
In his remarks, Matityau stressed the Philippines proved to the world that it has a strong moral foundation by accepting Jews from Europe. “In 1933 the world witnessed the moral collapse of Europe as an enlightened continent,” Matityau said.
He said the exhibit is a great reminder to the world that humanity is one of the basic foundations of a nation.
The Israeli envoy in the Philippines also stressed nations should remember their history, as it provides valuable lessons to the present generation. “Filipinos should take pride in this undertaking, because it shows their moral victory. The exhibit should serve as a reminder of the past that we have to remember so we will not repeat it,” Matityau said.
Matityau said it was not easy to assist the Jews during those days. He recalled racial supremacy was the driving force of World War II and led to the collapse of humanity and culture in Europe.
Quezon’s open-door policy saved 1,300 Jews from persecution in Europe. He planned to bring 10,000 Jews from Europe, but was prevented, when Japan entered the war in 1941. Matityau pointed out that Quezon and the Filipinos’ humanitarian act is one of the foundations of Philippine-Israeli friendship.
“Definitely, this is one of the cornerstones of the friendship between the people of Israel and the Philippines,” he said. “We always remember with great honor what you did for us,” he added.
As a sign of their deep gratitude to the Philippines, Israel abolished in 1968 the visa requirement for Filipinos.
“The Philippines was the first country in the world to be allowed by Israel to enter without visas,” he said.
He noted another foundation was built when the Philippines became the only country in Asia that voted for the establishment of an Israeli state in 1947.
Over the years, the Philippines and Israel have established stronger cooperation programs. More than 3,000 Filipinos have received student grants from Israel. Currently, another batch of 500 Filipinos is studying in special programs over the next 11 months.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza
1 comment
There were 5 Frieder brothers. From Cincinati Ohio. They had a cigar business in MNL. They wanted to save fellow Jews from death. They connected with Quezon, McNutt, and Eisenhauer. Together, they made a plan. The final figure was around 1300 Jews saved from death at the hands of Germans. The thing to remember is, that at the time, the US state department, the US government generally, and the US population was anti-semitic. And could care less about the Jews. All the more reason to recognize what an achievement this was since The Philippines was at the time a possession of the US. Quezon even provided land and a building for these refugees, as mentioned above. He gave them a new home, in the Philippines.