Évian Conference 2, The Sequel

As World War II loomed, delegates from various nations gathered in Évian, France, site of the famous mineral water. The subject was what to do with the Jewish and other refugees fleeing from Nazi Germany. The Holocaust had not yet occurred, but it was on the horizon.

The delegates drank water. The delegates passed water. But the delegates did nothing to help the refugees. Nazi newspapers trumpeted, all too accurately, “Keiner will sie haben,” “No one will have them.” In this photo, the MS Saint Louis, a liner filled with refugees, was within sight of Florida when we refused it entry and turned it back to Europe, and the gas chambers and crematoria.

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When I hear, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” I think of the Évian Conference and the Saint Louis. Even if the 7 million Jews of Israel agree to leave peacefully, which is most unlikely, who will take them? Will we once again be greeted by headlines screaming, “No one will have them”?

Well, what do you think when you hear, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”? Free of what? Free of Jews, judenfrei. No, I’ve seen the previous version of that film, and I really hated the ending. I refuse to see the sequel. What about you?