The St. Louis is turned away by Cuba, the U.S. 

and other countries.

On May 13, 1939 a German trans-Atlantic liner, the St. Louis, sailed from Hamburg, Germany for Havana, Cuba. Almost all 937 passengers were Jews trying to flee Germany after
‘Kristallnacht ‘ (Night of broken glass).

Cuba followed by the United States, denied this refugee vessel entry. The St. Louis was forced to return to Europe on June 6, 1939. The Voyage of the St. Louis illustrated the situation of German-Jewish refugees: they were persecuted at home and unwanted abroad.

Finally the ship was able to dock in Antwerp, Belgium and the governments of Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the UK agreed to accept the refugees.

By 1940, all of the passengers, except those who escaped to England, found themselves once again under Nazi rule and most of them perished.