Chapter 13:

"A Bittersweet Ending"

 

​

Quotes from the film:

       

          “

Conversation Starters:

​

• In the film, Dr. Stephen Morewitz said:

  •  "A few individuals taking a risk can change history."

    • What does he mean by that?

    • Do you know of someone or have you ever taken a risk and stood up for what 's right?

​

• In the film, Allan Harry Morewitz said:

  • "We had the ability and the capacity to save them and we didn't." ​​

    • What could the United States have done differently during WWII?​

​

• In the film, Irving Redel said:

  • "We survived. 6 million didn't and that is a catastrophe."

    • What did he mean by that? ​

​

• In the film Elise Margolius with the National Council of Jewish Women said:

  • "At midnight we all drove our cars to the ship and filled them with overflowing people. The refugees that we housed were eager to get to their families in New York, so we rented a bus for them. I will never forget that moment. I can see their happy, smiling faces waving American flags as they waved goodbye and their bus pulled away. We all just wept.”

    • How do small acts of kindness by volunteers make a world of difference?

​

Dig a little deeper...​

• Why didn't the US want to get involved in WWII in 1940?​

• What was the FDR administration's stance on refugees trying to come into the country during WWII?

• Why was the Assistant Secretary of State Breckenridge Long upset that Patrick Murphy Malin, his State Department employee allowed the refugees to come ashore? 

• Why did First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt want to save these refugees? How did Eleanor Roosevelt's intervention help? What did she do? What role do you think the First Lady should play in our political system?

• Were the Nazi's hoping that other countries wouldn't allow European refugees into their countries and why?

• How did the SS Quanza affect the State Department's policies? 

How could immigration lawyers help refugees today?

​

Dig even deeper...​

• How likely would they have ended up in a concentration camp if they were sent back to Europe? 

  • What are some other outcomes that could have happened to the people on the ship?​

​

​

​​

​

Personal connection...

• Have you or your family members ever faced discrimination?

• When did your family come to the US and why did they come.

• What are some current-day examples that you have witnessed or heard about?

• What evidence of discrimination do you see in your school or community?

• ​

What can I do?

​

Follow, share or post a comment on social media! 

(insert FB & insta icons)

​

​