Manuel Quezon, the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth, and a group of Americans that included future U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Freiders, the Jewish-American brothers, became increasingly concerned about the treatment of Jews in Europe during the late 1930s.
"They had a shared view of the world, they were men who understood what was happening in Europe," said Russ Hodge, co-producer of the documentary "Rescue in the Philippines." That documentary was screened in the Philippines with the country's president, Benigno Aquino in attendance last year.
Over poker, the men devised a strategy to bring Jewish refugees to the Philippines.
The Philippines Commonwealth remained under U.S. supervision so it could not accept people who would need public assistance. The refuge committee sought highly skilled professionals such as doctors, mechanics and accountants.
By 1938, a stream of refugees arrived including a rabbi, doctors, chemists and even a conductor, Herbert Zipper, who survived Dachau concentration camp and later became the founder of the Manila Symphony.
From CNN, By Madison Park.
YOU WILL BE PROUD TO BE PINOY AFTER WATCHING THIS
Posted by Joel Cudia on Friday, July 24, 2015
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