Today we honor the lives of those affected by the Holocaust, the systematic murder of six million Jewish people at the hands of the Nazi regime and other collaborators. We remember on this day specifically because it is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (1945). In 2005, the United Nations designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in order to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust and to prevent further genocide. However, when it comes to Holocaust remembrance, it is also important to reflect upon the action and inaction of the United States. What if the United States had acted sooner? Might the results have been different? Although we must not dwell on ‘what ifs,’ we must take responsibility for our action, and inaction, in order to apply lessons of the past to our present and future.

The annexation of Austria in 1938 resulted in 200,000 additional Jewish people falling under the control of the Nazi regime. This caused panic for among European Jews, and many were desperate to flee the growing threat. President Roosevelt called for an international conference to discuss the refugee crisis; however, it proved useless. Few of the 38 countries that attended changed their laws to allow for more Jewish refugees. The United States had no refugee policy for this crisis, only immigration laws which were isolationist and xenophobic. Laws like the U.S. Immigration Act of 1924 set a “national origins quota” in order to limit the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States. The quota provided immigration visas to two percent of the total number of people of each nationality in the United States as of the 1890 national census. This quota was designed to limit the immigration of people considered “racially undesirable.” This categorization was used to exclude Jewish people from Southern and Eastern European from immigration to the United States. Between the years of 1938 & 1939, approximately 300,000 German-Jews applied for entry to the U.S., creating an eleven-year-long waiting list. Despite this, the United States permitted no exceptions for refugees fleeing persecution except for waiving a literacy test. The list of Jewish refugees grew and grew.

Germans pass by the broken shop window of a Jewish-owned business that was destroyed during Kristallnacht

On the night of November 9th, 1938, a Nazi-led anti-semitic pogrom took place in Germany and German-occupied territories, namely Austria and the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. This pogrom, also known as Kristallnacht or the “Night of Broken Glass,” included the destruction of Jewish businesses, homes, and synagogues. It is estimated that some 7,500 Jewish-owned businesses were destroyed, while 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and deported to concentration camps like Dachau. After the pogrom, the British government eased immigration restrictions and allowed primarily Jewish children under the age of 17 to enter Great Britain from Germany and German-occupied territories. The so-called Kindertransports lasted from 1938 to 1940 and rescued nearly 10,000 children. There was a similar proposal made by Sen. Robert Wagner (D-NY) and Rep. Edith Nourse Rogers (R-MA) to allow for 20,000 unaccompanied child refugees to enter the US. The bill stipulated that the childcare costs would be met by the private sector and that the refugees admitted would not count against the quotas limiting U.S. immigration. Yet, anti-semitism was rampant and the bill received criticism in high places. In one case, Laura Delano Houghteling, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s cousin and the wife of Immigration Commissioner James Houghteling, said that “twenty thousand charming children would all too soon grow into 20,000 ugly adults.”

Refugees aboard the St. Louis docked in Havana, Cuba

Another instance of inaction is the voyage of the St. Louis - an event which encapsulates the feelings of uncertainty and hopelessness felt by many European Jews. The St. Louis set sail from Hamburg, Germany to Havana, Cuba in May of 1939. The ship contained 937 passengers, a majority of whom were Jewish refugees fleeing the Third Reich. These passengers had applied to gain entry to the U.S. but were planning to stay in Cuba until they could gain entry. By the time the boat reached Cuba on May 28th, many of the passengers could not enter because the Cuban government failed to inform them that their entry certificates were no longer valid. The certificates had expired a week before they departed. In Cuba, anti-Jewish sentiment and xenophobia were on the rise and many Cubans resented the country’s preexisting immigrant population, whom they considered to be job stealers. After the refugees were denied entry into Cuba and not even permitted to leave ship, the European and American press circulated their story. Although this attention garnered worldwide sympathy, little was said about allowing them to enter the United States. By June 2nd, the boat was ordered out of Cuban waters and directed to Miami. As they approached Miami, passengers aboard the ship cabled President Roosevelt begging to be let in. He never responded. The Department of State would not take any extreme measures to permit the refugees and stated that they simply must “wait their turn.”

With no help from the US government, the St. Louis set sail for Europe on June 6th. The passengers did not return to Germany. Instead, they found refuge in other European countries: Great Britain admitted 288 passengers, The Netherlands admitted 181, Belgium admitted 214, and 244 passengers found temporary refuge in France.

However, out of the original 937 passengers - 254 tragically perished in the Holocaust. Had the U.S. government acted promptly and allowed entry, all of the passengers could have survived.

Martha Sharp and some of the 37 children she rescued in December of 194

In contrast to the early inaction of the U.S. government, there are many instances of individual Americans taking initiative in support of Holocaust victims. Moreover, the ultimately crucial role of the U.S. military in destroying the Nazi war machine cannot be overlooked or understated. On April 11, 1945 - American forces liberated more than 20,000 prisoners at Buchenwald. They also went on to liberate the German concentration camps of Dora-Mittelbau, Flossenbürg, Dachau, and Mauthausen.

There were many cases in which individuals risked their lives to fight against the Third Reich’s oppression. A Massachusetts couple, Waitstill and Martha Sharp, among them. The Sharps traveled back and forth between Europe, smuggling children to safety in the United States using falsified identity papers. Despite the risks and a narrow avoidance of arrest while helping Jewish refugees escape from Czechoslovakia, the Sharps returned to Europe and opened offices in multiple cities to which Jewish refugees were fleeing; all in the hope of easing the path of immigration into the United States.

When I consider the many refugees who were not able to reach the United States, I find myself wondering what positive impacts they might have made on our country, or who they might have become. This is why it is so crucial to remember the inaction of our government when faced with this refugee crisis.

I know I said not to dwell on ‘what ifs,’ but I often think about those who might have been saved. In many instances, American leaders knew more than they let on publicly. There were many opportunities to help save lives threatened by the Third Reich and its allies. For instance, leadership knew where the train tracks leading to concentration camps were but ultimately decided against bombing them. The debate still rages today.

We are accountable to our own conscience. The United Nations designates today as International Holocaust Remembrance Day precisely so we would remember and educate future generations. Holocaust remembrance is more vital now than ever. Earlier this month, a man was seen among the rioters at the U.S. Capitol building wearing a sweatshirt with the words “Camp Auschwitz”. Moreover, anti-Semitic attacks in the United States are at an all time high. A May 2020 report from the Anti-Defamation League stated that 2019 saw a record number of anti-Semitic hate crimes nationwide (the highest number since they began keeping track of such incidents in 1979). We know from our own history that failing to combat xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and racism has a human cost. International Holocaust Remembrance Day calls on all of us to never forget.

Never forget the inaction of our past. Never forget the individuals who stepped up where their leaders failed at the risk of losing their own lives. Never forget the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. However, “never forget” is not merely a statement. It is our constant duty.

Our Duty as Americans on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

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