Born in 1931, Frank Ephraim grew up under the shadow of Nazi tyranny. But after the horrors of Kristallnacht, his family decided to flee to the Philippines—a country that was opening its borders when many others were closing theirs.

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The book version of this podcast, entitled Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves: Lost Tales from the Philippine Colonial Period, 1565-1946, is now available. Visit my publisher’s website for availability. (An ebook version is also available on Amazon.)

References: 

Sunga, Ria (14 June 2021). Personal communication (Zoom interview).

Sunga, Ria (20 November 2018). “The Philippines: A haven for Jewish refugees, 1937 to 1941?” Refugee History. http://refugeehistory.org/blog/2018/11/20/the-philippines-a-haven-for-jewish-refugees-1937-to-1941

Frank Ephraim [interviews]. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Kotlowski, Dean J. (2009) “Breaching the Paper Walls: Paul V. McNutt and Jewish Refugees to the Philippines, 1938-1939.” Diplomatic History, 33(5), pp. 865-896.

Martin, Jocelyn (2015). “Manilaner’s Holocaust Meets Manileños’ Colonisation: Cross-Traumatic Affiliations and Postcolonial Considerations in Trauma Studies.” Humanities 4(4), pp. 818-833.

Quezon, Manuel L. (15 February 1939). Statement: President Quezon on Jewish Settlement in Mindanao, February 15, 1939 [transcript]. Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1939/02/15/statement-president-quezon-on-jewish-settlement-in-mindanao-february-15-1939/

Museum of Tolerance (undated). “Eyewitness Accounts and Reminiscences.” Simon Weisenthal Center. https://www.museumoftolerance.com/education/archives-and-reference-library/online-resources/kristallnacht/eyewitness-accounts-and-reminiscences.html