[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 60 (Thursday, April 23, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S4698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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     SENATE RESOLUTION 111--RECOGNIZING JUNE 6, 2009, AS THE 70TH 
ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRAGIC DATE WHEN THE M.S. ST. LOUIS, A SHIP CARRYING 
    JEWISH REFUGEES FROM NAZI GERMANY, RETURNED TO EUROPE AFTER ITS 
        PASSENGERS WERE REFUSED ADMITTANCE TO THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. KOHL (for himself and Mr. Voinovich) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 111

       Whereas on May 13, 1939, the ocean liner M.S. St. Louis 
     departed from Hamburg, Germany for Havana, Cuba with 937 
     passengers, most of whom were Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi 
     persecution;
       Whereas the Nazi regime in Germany in the 1930s implemented 
     a program of violent persecution of Jews;
       Whereas the Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass, pogrom 
     of November 9 through 10, 1938, signaled an increase in 
     violent anti-Semitism;
       Whereas after the Cuban Government, on May 27, 1939, 
     refused entry to all except 28 passengers on board the M.S. 
     St. Louis, the M.S. St. Louis proceeded to the coast of south 
     Florida in hopes that the United States would accept the 
     refugees;
       Whereas the United States refused to allow the M.S. St. 
     Louis to dock and thereby provide a haven for the Jewish 
     refugees;
       Whereas the Immigration Act of 1924 placed strict limits on 
     immigration;
       Whereas a United States Coast Guard cutter patrolled near 
     the M.S. St. Louis to prevent any passengers from jumping to 
     freedom;
       Whereas following denial of admittance of the passengers to 
     Cuba, the United States, and Canada, the M.S. St. Louis set 
     sail on June 6, 1939 for return to Antwerp, Belgium with the 
     refugees; and
       Whereas 254 former passengers of the M.S. St. Louis died 
     under Nazi rule: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes that June 6, 2009, marks the 70th 
     anniversary of the tragic date when the M.S. St. Louis 
     returned to Europe after its passengers were refused 
     admittance to the United States and other countries in the 
     Western Hemisphere;
       (2) honors the memory of the 937 refugees aboard the M.S. 
     St. Louis, most of whom were Jews fleeing Nazi oppression, 
     and 254 of whom subsequently died during the Holocaust;
       (3) acknowledges the suffering of those refugees caused by 
     the refusal of the United States, Cuban, and Canadian 
     governments to provide them political asylum; and
       (4) recognizes the 70th anniversary of the M.S. St. Louis 
     tragedy as an opportunity for public officials and educators 
     to raise awareness about an important historical event, the 
     lessons of which are relevant to current and future 
     generations.

  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, seventy two years ago the M.S. St. Louis, a 
German ocean liner, sailed from Hamburg, Germany to Havana, Cuba with 
937 passengers, mostly Jewish refugees searching for the freedom and 
safety of the American dream. Those passengers left their homes because 
of state supported anti-semitism including violent pogroms, expulsion 
from public schools and service, and arrest and imprisonment solely 
because of Jewish heritage. Some passengers were released from prisons 
at Buchenwald and Dachau only because they were immigrating out of the 
country. With their freedom and safety stripped away by Nazi 
persecution, these refugees sailed for Cuba, a way station to wait for 
entry visas to the U.S.
  When the M.S. St. Louis arrived in Cuba, only 28 passengers were 
allowed to disembark. Corruption and political maneuvering within the 
Cuban government invalidated the transit visas of the other passengers. 
Those individuals waited with great hope for a remedy that would 
provide refuge far from Nazi persecution. Before returning to Europe, 
the ship sailed towards Miami in hopes of a solution. The ship sailed 
so close to Florida that the passengers could see the lights of Miami. 
One survivor remembers his father commenting that ``Florida's golden 
shores, so near, might as well be 4,000 miles away for all the good it 
did them.''
  The US Immigration and Nationality Act of 1924 strictly limited the 
number of immigrants admitted to the U.S. each year and in 1939 the 
waiting list for German-Austrian immigration was several years long. 
While the press was largely sympathetic to the plight of the passengers 
of the M.S. St. Louis, no extraordinary measures were taken to permit 
the refugees to enter the United States. The passengers were told that 
they must ``await their turns on the waiting list and qualify for and 
obtain immigration visas''.
  On June 6 the M.S. St. Louis sailed back to Europe with nearly all of 
its original passengers. Refuge for the passengers was eventually 
obtained in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. World 
War II started three months later and those countries, with the 
exception of Great Britain, fell to Nazi occupation. Two hundred and 
fifty-four of those passengers died during the Holocaust and many 
others suffered under Nazi persecution and in concentration camps.
  During this week when we remember the Holocaust, it is appropriate 
and right to acknowledge the voyage of the M.S. St. Louis and the lives 
and the dreams of those refugees who made a trip towards freedom only 
to be returned to Europe. This Senate Resolution acknowledges the 70th 
anniversary of the voyage of the M.S. St. Louis and honors the memory 
of those passengers, 254 of who died during the Holocaust. This 
resolution also provides an opportunity for public officials and 
educators to reflect on this historic event and lessons that are 
relevant to current and future generations.

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