What is the significance of SS st. Louis?

- In May 1939, the ship left Hamburg, Germany, carrying over 900 Jewish refugees who were fleeing Nazi persecution.

The refugees had all obtained visas to enter Cuba, which they hoped would be a safe haven.

- However, when the SS St. Louis reached Cuba, the Cuban government refused to allow the refugees to disembark.

Cuban officials claimed that the visas were invalid and that the refugees did not meet the country's immigration requirements.

- The ship was forced to leave Cuban waters and began a desperate journey across the Atlantic in search of another country that would accept the refugees.

Negotiations with the United States and Canada failed and other countries were also unwilling or unable to take the refugees.

- Eventually, the SS St. Louis was forced to return to Europe.

The ship returned to Antwerp, Belgium, where the refugees were disembarked. Many of the refugees were later caught up in the Nazi roundups and sent to concentration camps.

- A third of the passengers on the SS St. Louis ultimately died in the Holocaust.

*The story of the SS St. Louis is a tragic reminder of the world's failure to address the refugee crisis during the Holocaust. *

It also highlights the importance of providing refuge for people fleeing persecution.