Jews in the Philippines

Haven or Hell? Jews in the Philippines During WW II

For over 20 years, Sandy Lanman knew that her grandmother Elsie had escaped Germany to the Philippines only to lose her husband Gunther in the brutal Battle of Manila at the end of World War II. Recently, a serendipitous connection to Gunther’s family uncovered a trove of photos of Elsie and Gunther in Manila and sparked Sandy’s interest in learning more about the Jews who found safe haven there. Her presentation looks at this little known story of the rescue of 1300 mostly German Jews by the Philippines and the tragedy that befell the nation during World War II as told in film, history books and her grandmother's own words.

Sandra Lanman is an award-winning writer and public relations professional. She began her career as a staff writer for The Home News, where she won awards for health, medical and human interest writing. She has worked in public relations for Crossroads Theatre Company, New Jersey Network and Rutgers University, and as a consultant and writer serving clients in higher education, the arts and nonprofit sector, and is on the board of the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission. Sandra has a B.A. in English from Douglass College and master’s in communication and information studies from Rutgers’ School of Communication and Information.

Sponsored by The Friends of the Library.