Shelter from the storm

(Part 1)

LOS ANGELES – It’s a little known story. But with the publication of the book Escape to Manila, the public can now be made aware that the Filipinos came to the aid of the Jewish people during the holocaust.

In his book, Escape to Manila – From Nazi Tyranny to Japanese Occupation, author Frank Ephraim recounts the experiences of some 1,200 Jews who fled to Manila during the time of Jewish persecution ordered by Adolf Hitler.

"The role of the Philippines is something that I always like to highlight because it’s hardly ever known by most people. That this was a country that opened its doors," Ephraim said.

With the rise of Nazism in the 1930s more than a thousand European Jews sought refuge in the Philippines, joining the small Jewish population in Manila. When the Japanese invaded the islands in 1941, the peaceful existence of the barely settled Jews filled with the kinds of uncertainties and oppression they thought they had left behind.

Ephraim was only eight years old when his family decided to move to the Philippines to escape turbulent times in Germany. They stayed in the Philippines before migrating to America. And his experience was not unique. For the book, Ephraim also interviewed and wrote about the stories of other survivors. According to the author, some six million Jews perish and millions more suffered following the Crystal Night.

Crystal Night (Kristallnacht or Reichsprogromnacht) refers to the night of "spontaneous outburst of anger and revolt" against German Jews that took place in November 1938. This followed the assault on a member of staff of the German embassy in Paris. Germans smashed Jewish windows, looted their shops, set fire to Jewish houses and destroyed almost all synagogues in Germany. Ninety-one people were killed. The goal was to drive the Jewish population out of the country and to show the determination to do so. The name Crystal Night is derived from the reflections of the fires in the broken glass, a surprisingly poetic name given to such a startling event.

The event may be largely unknown outside Germany. But over there it serves as an important fixture in German history, a symbolic date that serves as a reminder of the holocaust.

Surprisingly, Ephraim commented that in one way or another, Crystal Night is also a part of Philippine history, for he recalled that the tiny country in Southeast Asia was one of the few nations who reacted to that fateful night in Germany. Headed by Quintin Paredes, a well-regarded legislator during his time, Filipinos organized a protest against the treatment of Jews by the Nazis.

"It was the most unusual thing to see and read. Even if they didn’t go through it, they were a proactive group. Most unusual when you look at the reaction of other countries who pretty much ignored the occurrence in Germany," Ephraim said, awed by the humanity that the Filipino people displayed then. "This is a part of Philippine history, a history of the Philippines the Filipino people can be proud of."

Recently, acknowledging this wonderful story that recognizes the ties between the American Jews and Filipino-Americans, the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles hosted an event to launch the book.

"I hope that with this event, stronger ties of goodwill and friendship will be developed between the Filipino and Jewish communities here in Los Angeles," said Deputy Consul General Ma. Hellen M. Barber in her welcome remarks.

"Mr. Ephraim’s book demonstrates what we have been known for, the Filipino hospitality and sense of compassion, values we adhere to regardless of creed, race or religion, true to our commitment as a responsible member of the international community of nations," she added.

According to her, welcoming the holocaust victims in the 1930s was not the only time that the Philippines opened its shores to other nations in need.

"We accepted Vietnamese asylum seekers during the ’70s that lasted more than two decades of resettlement processing to third countries. And by the turn of the century, we allowed North Korea asylum seekers seeking democracy and freedom to transit in the Philippines. With these modest efforts, the Philippines has shown to the global community of nations our sincere concern for humanity," she said.

The book launch was attended by Philippine consuls, members of the American-Jewish community, as well as respected figures in the Fil-Am community.

Although Consul General Marciano Paynor couldn’t grace the occasion because of prior engagements, Barber noted that Paynor supported the staging of the book launch even if it was not part of the consulate’s official calendar for the year because of his affinity with the Jewish community, having served as the Philippine Ambassador to Israel in the early ’90s.

The book launch was not the first time the Filipino-American community paid attention to this masterpiece by Ephraim. In fact, the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC already launched Escape to Manila in 2003. Same thing happened in Ohio, shortly after. But what made the launch in Los Angeles special was that one of the survivors showed up to tell his experience.

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More holocaust stories next week.

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