How the United States Reacted
As can be seen with the two maps to the right, Europe garnered an immense Jewish population, and only so many were able to escape. I found these two images to be useful to the archive, as they were able to add a new element to the refugee crisis during WWII, one that went beyond images of the refugees themselves. They, along with the Congressional legal document above, provided new insight about the development and consequences of actions during the war. The legal decision made by Congress perhaps encouraged some of the widespread evacuation of the Jewish community, as shown by the maps, which is why I decided to put them together in the archive.
Jewish Population in Europe, 1933
Jewish Emigration from Germany, 1933-1940
SS St. Louis
These refugees from Nazi Germany were forced to return to Europe after both Cuba and the US denied them refuge. May or June 1939. — US Holocaust Memorial Museum
The ship was denied entry into Cuba and the United States in 1939. Germany, 1939. — US Holocaust Memorial Museum
After being rejected from both the United States and Cuba, the ship was sent back to Europe, with almost all original passengers, most of which Jewish refugees, still on board.
Heian Maru
Jewish refugees wait for debarkation from the ship, after being delayed two days at sea after President Roosevelt declared a freeze on all Japanese assets in the U.S. on July 26, 1941. Found in the DPLA. Staff PhotographerSeattle Post-Intelligencer
All passengers left the ship, with most families heading for Vancouver, and the rest staying in Seattle. Found in the DPLA. Staff PhotographerSeattle Post-Intelligencer
The motor ship, named ‘Heian Maru’ of the Nippon Yusen Kaisya Line docked at the Great Northern Dock from Japan. Found in the DPLA. Staff PhotographerSeattle Post-Intelligencer.
SS Mouzinho
Two uniformed Portuguese policemen stand on the pier in the port of Lisbon as a group of Jewish refugee children wait in line to board the SS Mouzinho. 1941 August 20. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Milton Koch.
Among these refugees is a group of Jewish children recently rescued from internment camps in France. Lisbon, Portugal, ca. June 10, 1941. — US Holocaust Memorial Museum
A group of Jewish refugees wait behind a wooden fence in the port of Lisbon before boarding the SS Mouzinho. 1941 June 10. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Milton Koch.
Where refugees were admitted
Refugees gather outside the Jewish Refugee Aid Committee of Antwerp. 1938. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Norman Guttman
Jewish refugees from Europe arrive at the emergency refugee shelter at Fort Ontario. A father, holding his daughter, checks his tags. Oswego, New York, United States, August 4, 1944. — National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Md.
Group portrait of Jewish refugees in the Kitchener refugee camp. June 1939. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Hilary Dalton
A class of Jewish refugee children in the Pingliang refugee camp near Shanghai. 1941. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Hannah (Mansbacher) Weill
— Israel Government Press Office
Female teenage Jewish refugees pose together outside in Langenbruck Switzerland. February 1943. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Mordechay Frost
Jewish refugees and Filipinos gather for a celebration in Manila. 1948. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Margot Kestenbaum
Two Austrian refugee children, part of a group of predominantly Jewish refugee children on a Children's Transport (Kindertransport), upon their arrival in Great Britain. Harwich, Great Britain, December 12, 1938. — Bibliotheque Historique de la Ville de Paris
As a final piece for my archive, I wanted to end on a positive note, listing some of the many places around the world that agreed to take in Jewish refugees, saving them from inevitable extermination. Instead of just bullet-pointing locations, I decided to find images of refugee camps from some of these locations and display them in a tile gallery. This way, the audience can observe the images, while being able to tell where the refugees were by simple mousing over the image. Of course, more information about the context and source of the images is available if the user clicks on it, but the simple format of the main archive page is exactly how I wanted to showcase the materials I found.
Overall, searching and finding the items that are featured in this archive was both an educational and saddening experience. I learned much more about the refugee crisis during the war and how other countries, aside from the United States, dealt with it. However, it was also frustrating learning about all the ships, families, and children who were turned away in their most desperate time, for a political or social reason I, along with many, still cannot understand. Refugee crises occur all too often in this world, and not enough action is done to aid and stand up for the victims of human rights violations. The most significant message I want to convey through this archive is the power of conversation. And more importantly, the preventative actions that can be a result of that conversation.