The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and MacArthur Memorial will host a screening of the documentary “Nobody Wants Us” on Thursday. It is held in honor of this week’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, for the monthlong 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising of Jewish fighters against the German army.
“Nobody Wants Us” features the stories of European Jews aboard the Quanza, who were seeking refuge from the Nazis.
According to ushmm.org, the website of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Quanza was a Portuguese ship chartered in the summer of 1940. More than 300 passengers were leaving Europe after Germany invaded and occupied France in June.
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The Quanza left Portugal on Aug. 9 for New York, with a final destination of Mexico. Passengers with valid visas were allowed to get off in New York and Veracruz, Mexico, but 81 refugees were left.
On Sept. 10, the refugees learned the ship would stop in Norfolk to restock its coal supply for its return to Portugal. The passengers sent telegrams to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who garnered support; the Hampton Roads Jewish community also rallied. Relatives of some of the refugees hired local attorneys. Eventually, the refugees were allowed to disembark in Norfolk.
The film was produced and directed by Newport News native Laura Seltzer-Duny, an award-winning PBS documentary filmmaker.
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If you go
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: MacArthur Memorial,150 Bank St., Norfolk
Tickets: Free, but registration is encouraged.
Details: macarthurmemorial.org to register
