This definitive documentary tells the story of the infamous St. Louis episode as recalled by passengers who made the crossing as children and in readings from the diary of the ship’s captain. In the summer of 1939, the German luxury liner St. Louis sailed from Hamburg to Cuba carrying 937 German Jews.Most had sold all their belongings to book passage, pay off corrupt German officials, and buy visas to Cuba. But hope turned to despair when Havana suddenly barred the ship’s entry. For thirty excruciating days the St. Louis wandered the seas and was refused haven by every country in the Americas. Finally, passengers were accepted by Holland, France, Belgium, and England. Four months later, World War II began and many of the St. Louis passengers perished in the Holocaust.
The National Center For Jewish Film
Brandeis University, Lown 102, MS053, Waltham MA 02454
P: (781) 899 7044, F: (781) 736 2070
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