SS St. Louis in Havana Harbor, Cuba

Authors

Object ID

2015.2.59

Object Name

Print, Photographic

Date

1939

Files

Content Warning

The Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection consists of images, documents, and artifacts related to the Holocaust. The collection contains materials that depict a number of topics that may be difficult for viewers to engage with, including: antisemitic descriptions, caricatures, and representation of Jewish people; Nazi imagery and ideology; descriptions and images of German ghettos; graphic images of the violence of the Holocaust; and the creation of the State of Israel. For more information, see our policy page.

Description

Front: Black and white photograph of a large ship surrounded by smaller boats in water. To the left of it is a harbor where people stand and look at the large boat. Back: Large stamp with an eagle.

Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

The SS St. Louis ("The Voyage of the Damned") had anchored 12 miles out, and now is escorted by Cuban government boats toward the open sea. Her captain, Gustav Schroeder, is concerned about mass suicides from the beleaguered passengers. Cuba, having initially refused to allow the refugees to debark, ultimately consents to allow only passengers with valid Cuban visas to enter. Only 22 passengers are able to meet this standard; moreover, efforts of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his cabinet, and the pleas of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (the "Joint"), are not successful in persuading Cuba to accept the refugees. Captain Schroeder, a non-Jewish German, tries desperately to find safe haven for the remaining passengers. The U.K., Belgium, France, and the Netherlands each agree to take some of the passengers; however, when the Nazis overrun Europe the following year, all Jews are placed at risk, including the passengers of the St. Louis. Approximately 254 passengers of the SS St. Louis will ultimately perish in the Holocaust.

Dimensions

7 x 11"

Keywords

Boat, Ship, International News Photos, St. Louis, Voyage of the Damned, Cuba, AJDC, American Joint Distribution Committee, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Gustav Schroeder, Franklin D. Roosevelt

Subcollection

St. Louis

Recommended Citation

"SS St. Louis in Havana Harbor, Cuba" (1939). Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection. 2015.2.59.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/bulmash/182