Open Doors: First RP monument to rise in Israel

Courage and determination to give humanitarian support for the Jews seeking refuge from the Holocaust in Europe in the 1930s. These are the Filipino values that are sought to be remembered in this project called “Open Doors, " the first Philippine Monument in Israel symbolizing the people’s hospitality, when the Philippines opened its doors to the Jewish refugees fleeing Europe during the Holocaust. In 1939, the Philippine Commonwealth Government, as a matter of policy, opened its doors and welcomed Jewish refugees escaping Nazi tyranny in Europe. Ten thousand visas earmarked for travel to the Philippines Islands were made available to thousands of Jews. President Manuel L. Quezon fully understood the crisis that the Jews were facing at that time. And to reinforce this open door policy, President Quezon built a housing community for Jewish refugees in Marikina in 1939 and allotted a farm and large settlement area in Mindanao for Jewish refugees before the outbreak of World War II. The Filipinos expressed their indignation to the persecution of the Jews. On 17 November 1938, hundreds of Filipinos held a rally in Manila to express their moral outrage and to denounce the Kristallnacht. These episodes in the journey of Jews to the Philippines to escape the Holocaust were documented and thoroughly discussed in the book entitled “Escape to Manila" by Frank Ephraim, one of the Jewish refugees and a witness to the humanitarian efforts of President Quezon. “Escape to Manila" will preserve for all generations the memories and experiences of the European Jews who sought refuge in the Philippines and the warm hospitality of the Filipinos during this difficult period in the Jewish history. Ephraim’s book gave the inspiration and vision to then Ambassador Antonio Modena to launch in 2005 a campaign for the remembrance of the Philippine’s humanitarian support for the Jews. Modena met with Avner Shalev, chairman of the directorate of the Yad Vashem and the mayors of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Rishon LeZion to discuss his plans. Mayor Meir Nitzan of Rishon LeZion, the fourth largest city in Israel, responded with a message that the municipal council approved the construction of a Philippine monument at the Rishon LeZion Holocaust Memorial Park as an expression of the city’s oneness with the vision of remembering the Filipino courage and determination to open the doors for the European Jews. Modena passed away in February 2007 but he already started the process to build this Philippine monument in Israel, which is now being undertaken by the organizing committee for the 50th anniversary celebration of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Israel. Upon representation by the organizing committee, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) conducted in 2007 a national competition in the Philippines for the monument design. A panel of judges chose “Open Doors" by Jun Yee for the top prize from a field of eight entries coming from top sculptors and architects, including a Philippine national artist. “Open Doors" expresses the feeling, sentiment and emotion as the Filipinos showed the courage to welcome into the country and provide humanitarian assistance for the Jews. The site of “Open Doors" gives greater meaning to this joint effort of the organizing committee and the city of Rishon LeZion, also known as the “City of Firsts." The city has allocated a site in the Holocaust Memorial Park, which is dedicated to the six million Jews who died during the Holocaust. The park was designed and constructed by Dr. David Katz, upon the initiative of Mayor Neir Nitzan. It has 60 acres and located at the western side of Rishon LeZion. In the park is the Boulevard of the Righteous Gentiles that is dedicated to those courageous non-Jewish individuals who risked their lives and their families to save Jews. The 50th anniversary organizing committee hopes to unveil “Open Doors" in November 2007 through the generous support of the “Manilaners", the Jews who resided in the Philippines in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as those who wish to be associated in this effort to remember for all generations this Philippine episode in the history of the Jews. The Asian Ladies – Philippine Group and the Federation of the Filipino Communities in Israel, the umbrella organization of the Filipino associations in Israel, are also helping the organizing committee to raise funds for the monument. The organizing committee holds regular meeting to review the status of the project. The unveiling of “Open Doors" will be among the highlights of this year’s celebration of the 50 years of Philippines-Israel relations with the theme “Golden Years of Friendship – Building on Common Values." The monument would also be a fitting symbol of the warm and friendly relations of the Philippines and Israel that began even before diplomatic ties were established in 1957 and even before the declaration on the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948. Most of all, the Philippines will certainly cherish its support for the establishment of the State of Israel when it delivered the crucial vote required for the adoption of the United Nations Resolution on the Partition of Plan 1947. The Philippines was the only Asian country that voted for the UN Resolution. Today, the political, cultural, economic, scientific and technological cooperation continues to prosper between the two nations that aim to see a further expansion of these relations in the years ahead. The organizing committee seeks the support of everyone for “Open Doors" that will be our legacy to the next generations who will have this living and imposing symbol of the courage, human kindness, caring, sharing and love of the Filipinos -- the values that would sustain peace and understanding in this region and throughout the world. (Donations for the construction of the first Philippine Monument in Israel, honoring the Philippines’ role in saving the Jews during the Holocaust and remembering the Jews in the Philippines, are welcome. Please contact the 50th Anniversary Organizing Committee at filembis@netvision.net.il or fax: 03.60.41.038 ) - GMANews.TV