Escape to Manila
From Nazi Tyranny to Japanese Terror
Published on 24. January 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
248 pages
978-0-252-07526-1 (ISBN)
Description
A harrowing account of Jewish refugees in the Philippines
With the rise of Nazism in the 1930s more than a thousand European Jews sought refuge in the Philippines, joining the small Jewish population of Manila. When the Japanese invaded the islands in 1941, the peaceful existence of the barely settled Jews filled with the kinds of uncertainties and oppression they thought they had left behind.
In this book Frank Ephraim, who fled to Manila with his parents, gathers the testimonies of thirty-six refugees, who describe the difficult journey to Manila, the lives they built there upon their arrival, and the events surrounding the Japanese invasion. Combining these accounts with historical and archival records, Manila newspapers, and U.S. government documents, Ephraim constructs a detailed account of this little-known chapter of world history.
With the rise of Nazism in the 1930s more than a thousand European Jews sought refuge in the Philippines, joining the small Jewish population of Manila. When the Japanese invaded the islands in 1941, the peaceful existence of the barely settled Jews filled with the kinds of uncertainties and oppression they thought they had left behind.
In this book Frank Ephraim, who fled to Manila with his parents, gathers the testimonies of thirty-six refugees, who describe the difficult journey to Manila, the lives they built there upon their arrival, and the events surrounding the Japanese invasion. Combining these accounts with historical and archival records, Manila newspapers, and U.S. government documents, Ephraim constructs a detailed account of this little-known chapter of world history.
Reviews / Votes
"The book's riveting centerpiece combines military history and personal horror to describe the Battle of Manila. . . . Burned out of their homes, Jews roam the streets with other civilians, seeking safe havens, crouching to dodge bullets, hiding in holes dug in the ground covered with corrugated roofing. . . . Escape to Manila . . . enables readers to know and feel the fires."--Hadassah Magazine"Ephraim has constructed a fascinating narrative from a rich mix of archival research, oral history, and autobiographical memoir. He offers us a stirring portrait of a community of resourceful, resilient, courageous, and compassionate individuals."--Michael Shapiro, director, Program in Jewish Culture and Society, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
"The vignettes and first person histories make for very interesting reading."--Jewish Book World
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
30 photos; 3 line drawings
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 154 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
392 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-252-07526-1 (9780252075261)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Frank Ephraim was born in Berlin in 1931 and fled to the Philippines with his parents in 1939. In 1946 he emigrated to the United States. After a career in naval architecture, he served as the director of program evaluation for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
Content
Foreword by Stanley Karnow; Acknowledgments; Prologue 1. Destination: The Philippines; 2. Unexpected Arrivals; 3. The First Wave of Refugees; 4. Manila Hears about Kristallnacht; 5. Mindanao: A Plan for Jewish Settlement; 6. Establishing a Life; 7. What Does the Future Hold for Us?; 8. Carving Out a Niche; 9. War; 10. Occupation; 11. Can We Hold Out?; 12. The Final Months of Occupation; 13. The Battle; 14. Reestablishing the Community; 15. Leaving the Philippines Notes; Index; Illustrations