Open Book!
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Names Not Numbers
Eva Wiener
Eva Wiener
Eva was born in Berlin, Germany, on July 18, 1938. Her parents were originally from Poland, but they left due to the pogroms taking place there and settled in Berlin. Her father came from a large family of 11 children, although 3 passed away at a young age, leaving 8 surviving siblings.
1
Her father was an ambitious man, eventually building the first and largest kosher bakery in Berlin. Her mother, one of 4 children, worked as a dressmaker in a design shop. The couple married in 1937 through a shidduch, a traditional Jewish matchmaking arrangement.
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By the mid-1930s, most of Eva’s extended family had left Germany due to the rising tide of Nazism. Some of her father’s siblings, along with their parents, made their way to Palestine. Her mother’s brother emigrated to Cuba. Despite these departures, Eva’s parents remained in Berlin, trying to make a living.
4
On November 9, 1938, Kristallnacht, Eva’s father left Berlin for Warsaw on business. He ended up staying there and sent money back to his family, helping to support them from afar.
In 1939, Eva’s two aunts, along with their families and Eva’s grandmother, were able to escape to America, thanks to sponsorships from relatives living in Brooklyn and Belmar, New Jersey.
5
However, not everyone was able to leave. One of Eva’s aunts, who had stayed behind, sent her 12-year-old son on the Kindertransport to England. He was later smuggled into Israel and served in the Israeli army. Tragically, his mother was sent to Auschwitz, where she was killed.
6
In early 1939, Eva’s mother’s brother, who had settled in Cuba, sent them a landing permit, a document similar to a visa. This gave them a chance to escape, and the family decided to take it. Prior to receiving the permit, they had tried to secure a visa to Siam but were unsuccessful. Eva’s father returned from Poland, and the family prepared for their departure.
7
With just one suitcase per person, they boarded the MS St. Louis, a cruise ship, in Hamburg, Germany. A total of 937 people were on board when they set sail on May 13, 1939, all holding visas or landing permits for Cuba.
The passengers were eager to leave, but there were mixed feelings. Many of them had been loyal German citizens who had served their country in past wars.
8
The 12-day journey to Cuba was luxurious and pleasant, with a hospitable captain and a hopeful atmosphere. However, none of the passengers were aware of the political deal Hitler had made with a corrupt Cuban immigration director, which would prevent them from entering Cuba despite having valid visas.
9
Upon arrival in Havana Harbor, the ship was denied permission to dock. Only 28 passengers were allowed to disembark, leaving 909 people stranded on board. The Jewish Agency attempted to negotiate with the Cuban president, Federico Laredo Brú, even offering to pay $500 per person to allow the refugees to land, but the offer was rejected, and the ship was forced out of Cuban waters.
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The ship's captain, Gustav Schroeder, refused to give up. He attempted to dock in Miami, Florida, but was turned away without any support from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The ship then tried Canada and several South American countries, but each time, they were denied entry.
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After spending a month at sea searching for a safe haven, a few European countries, including Holland, France, Belgium, and England, finally agreed to take some of the passengers. Refugees could choose which country to go to if they had acquaintances there.
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Eva’s father decided that England would be the safest choice, so he falsely claimed to have a friend in London. His instinct proved correct, as Holland, Belgium, and France were later overtaken by the Nazis. Unfortunately, about 250 of the passengers who disembarked in these countries were eventually killed in concentration camps.
13
Eva’s family lived in London for several years before they were sponsored by an aunt in 1946 and were able to travel to the United States. They settled in Queens, New York, where Eva attended school, and her father found work. Captain Gustav Schroeder, who had fought so hard to save the passengers of the SS St. Louis, fell on hard times after the war.
14
Some of the surviving passengers, grateful for his efforts, sent him food and clothing. He passed away in 1957 but was posthumously recognized as a ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ by Yad Vashem in 1993.
The End
Eva Wiener interview at Golda Och Academy - 2023-2024
Golda Och Academy
