Basinillo, Perbielyn A.

February 4, 2020
BSA 1-15 Ethics

PHILIPPINES: AN OPEN DOOR FOR THE VICTIMS OF HOLOCAUST

A. Rewrite the facts.

The Jews enjoyed all the rights of citizenship in Germany before the assumed position of

the anti-Semitic Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as the German chancellor on January 30, 1933. During

the first years of his ruling, also known as the Nazi state, he built the first concentration camps

where all the categorized as "dangerous", such as political opponents, homosexuals, and

Jehovah's witnesses will be imprisoned. He transformed Germany into a nightmare for the

Jewish community. He believed that Jews were destruction to the German racial purity and

community. The root of Adolf Hitler’s thought until now is still unclear. This event is known in

the history as Holocaust.

Adolf Hitler termed the German race as “Aryan” and they need a space for the expansion

of their race. At that time, the Jews population is only one percent of the total population of

Germany. In the next six years, the Nazi regime underwent an “Aryanization”. They dismissed

all the non-Aryans from their public life. The Nazi-led German stripped the citizenship of the

Jews. All of their rights were slowly stripped away. They were eliminated from their civil life,

starting from their profession and public education. Due to the extensive propagandas of the

Nazis, the Jews were pictured as traitors, killers, and monsters.

In 1938, the Nazi regime established a highly organized orgy of structure and terror

known as Kristallnacht or the “Night of Broken Glass”. This is the time when the Jewish

congregation and Jewish shops were burned and smashed. All the schools and houses owned by
Jews were vandalized. The Nazis almost killed 100 Jews and 30,000 Jews were imprisoned. The

Kristallnacht was the warning for the Jews that the brutality and violence of the Nazis will not

stop instead worsen. The only choice left for the Jews was to escape. Some of them did, but

most of them remained to live in hell.

They experienced horrible events when they were being killed, hunted, and treated

like animals. When they were being desperate, all the nations and states closed their doors

for the Jews who're asking for help. The Philippines is the only country who extended a

hand of welcome and opened its doors by sheltering more than 1300 Jewish refugees in the

country.

President Manuel L. Quezon together with his poker players Lt. Col. Dwight

Eisenhower, Quezon’s military adviser, Paul McNutt, the American high commissioner to

the Philippines at that time, and the Frieder brothers made an extensive effort in s aving the

1300 Jewish refugees to be sheltered here in the Philippines.

It started when Alex Frieder asked for the help of President Quezon to help his

fellow Jews and rescued them out of Germany due to the drastic rise of anti -Semitism in

Europe. Meanwhile, the US rejected the asylum for the 937 Jewish refugees due to the

threat to national security. Other countries refused as well. Upon learning, President Manuel

L. Quezon announced that Jews were welcome to stay in the Philippines even though we are

battling for our sovereignty. He is willing to help because he believed that the Filipinos and

Jews were brothers in Christ.

The Frieder brothers established the Jewish Refugee Committee in Manila and some

30 Jews became the first refugees from Shanghai. The president was criticized, but still he
continued persuading the US to grant the refugees from Germany and Austria visas to enter

here in the country. The first goal is to bring more than 10,000 refugees in the country and

made them settle in Mindanao to create a farming community. He also offered his property

in Marikina for the shelter of the refugees and they call it “Marikina Hall”. The Frieder

brothers raised donations in supporting the relocation of the refugees here in the Philippines.

The President received critics and reprimands due to his heroic act form his enemies and

political alliances. He was warned by the US Secretary to still abide by the US laws and

policies because we are in the US colony. Nevertheless, he stood his ground. Abiding with

the immigration law that we must accept refugees with a professional background, they

came up with the plan of providing refugees professional work so that they will be allowed

to enter the country. But, the plan stopped when the country was colonized by Japanese in

1945 and only 1300 Jews were rescued.

This act of our President Manuel L. Quezon is considered heroic. This became the

legacy of the country until now. This act creates a relationship between the Filipinos and the

Jews. As time passed by, the Jews had reciprocated the kindness to the Filipinos. The Jews

established the Open Doors Monument at the Holocaust Memorial Park in Rishon Lezion to

celebrate the generosity and the friendship of the Philippines and Israel.
B. Options, Consequences, and Values of Quezon’s Move in Saving the Jews

Options Consequences Values

1. Save the Jewish  Be ready for the  Life Security
community. possibility of an  The sanctity of life
attack from the
European country.
 His enemies and
political alliances
criticized and
reprimanded him for
the act.
2. Let the Jewish  The Philippines will  Life Security
community alone and be out of trouble and  National Security
close the doors like they will just continue  Credibility and
other nations. their battle for reputation as the
independence. president of the
 Consumed by guilt in Philippines
watching unfortunate
people cry for help
and die.

C. If I were President Manuel L. Quezon, will I do the same thing?

If I were the in the shoes of President Manuel L. Quezon in 1939, suffering a moral

dilemma in choosing between sheltering Jews refugee or acting blind-eye and focus on

getting the sovereignty of the country, I will also do the same thing he did. The battle we

have in getting our sovereignty from the Americans is just a political crisis, but this one is a

humanitarian crisis. People who have nothing need help. People who are very unfortunate

need help and all of the nations turned their back on them. You have the means to help, why

don’t you? If I were the president of the Philippines, I am aware that we have our hardships.

We are battling for our independence for years. But this one calls the "act of humanity". I

could not turn my back and be deaf or blind-eye for the sufferings of the unfortunate people.

I believe that the Philippine Commonwealth was founded for justice and righteousness and

the preservation of human liberties. And, this one is the opportunity to meet our share in the
 preservation of human liberties. I will think and fight for every possible way to help other

people without a home and a country. I will be very glad to extend my hand and help

unfortunate people that are in need. Millions of Jewish refugees are being terminated,

hunted, and executed in the holocaust. They were killed for an invalid reason. I know that

this decision will cost my reputation and national security. I value those, but, I value the

importance of life the most. Maybe, some of my political enemies will use this to the ir

advantage, but, I'll stand my ground to fight for the security of the life of millions of Jews.

REFERENCES

(n.d.). Retrieved February 4, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRAgNVv0V_s

Dumaual, M. (2019, May 8). Why 'Quezon's Game' will make Filipinos proud. Retrieved from

https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/05/08/19/why-quezons-game-will-make-filipinos-proud

bw_mark. (n.d.). Quezon's quest. Retrieved from https://www.bworldonline.com/quezons-quest/

II, P. E. (n.d.). How PH reaps fruits of Quezon's kindness to Jews. Retrieved from

https://www.rappler.com/nation/176328-philippines-israel-manuel-quezon-jewish-refugees

Limos, A. (1970, January 1). Why President Manuel Quezon Sheltered Jewish Refugees in the

Philippines in 1939. Retrieved from https://esquiremag.ph/long-reads/why-president-manuel-

quezon-sheltered-jewish-refugees-in-the-philippines-a00293-20190509-lfrm