General1lol t1_irtl13i wrote
Reply to comment by Fatt-Deg-Pa-Hjernen in TIL about John Rabe. A German representative in China who used his Nazi credentials and influence to save 200,000 Chinese citizens from being slaughtered by Japanese forces in 1937 during the Nanjing Massacre. by LethalPoopstain
Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon took in approximately 1,300 Jewish refugees just before the Japanese invaded the islands. He donated his own land and had shelters built for the refugees. He expected to provide more amnesty to Jews but he lived in exile during the war and died before the Japanese surrendered. He “only” saved 1,300 refugees, as the US forced a strict quota on immigrants.
There is not a large Jewish community in Manila today, likely due in part to the Battle of Manila (Rape of Manila as some call it) where nearly 100,000 citizens were slaughtered by retreating Japanese. It is likely that the Jews rescued by Quezon were unfortunate victims of the onslaught.
There is a film about this, called “Quezon’s Game”.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments