AIR DATES
Upcoming Show Times
- New York | Sunday, April 7 | 10pm | WLIW
- New Jersey | Thursday, April 11 | 10pm | NJTV
- South Carolina | Thursday, April 18 | 2pm | ETV World
“Rescue in The Philippines” is a one-hour documentary of the previously untold story of how the five Frieder brothers, Cincinnati businessmen making two-for-a-nickel cigars in pre-WWII Manila, together with Manuel Quezon, the charismatic first president of the Philippines, Paul McNutt, US High Commissioner and former governor of Indiana (preparing for his own presidential campaign) and an ambitious Army Colonel named Dwight Eisenhower - helped 1,200 Jews escape the Nazis and immigrate to the Philippines.
Testimonials
This unique story, of an Asian country that wasn’t even really a fully independent country and had no special ties to Jews, is part of that fabric of history that has been largely neglected and deserves the same level of ‘telling’ as many other Holocaust stories receive.
James R. BusisAmerican Jewish Committee
This story’s importance also extends to current geopolitical events that are unrelated to the Holocaust. In its continuing fight for survival and acceptance Israel fights daily battles for understanding and legitimacy in virtually every country in the world and in the global multilateral organizations … There is a genuine opportunity, to strengthen the Philippines’ understanding of and ties with Israel. In this regard, this film has the potential to be of tremendous assistance in this ongoing work.
James R. BusisAmerican Jewish Comittee
The story you’ve uncovered is inspiring…I watched the work you have done so far as a distant relative of one those visionary brothers. I also watched as a lifelong journalist and editor at the New York Times, who takes some pride in knowing a great story when I see one.You are creating a film that brings the old intrigue to life, talks with survivors and nails down once and for all a bit of history hidden for over half a century. Thanks to your efforts this inspiring story will take its place in the history books of many nations– and maybe, maybe influence better behavior in today’s contentious world.
Soma Golden Behr, Fmr. EditorNew York Times & Frieder in-law
I think [Eisenhower] would have seen the injustice and the horror that was unfolding in Europe, and would’ve thought that it was the right thing to do what you can do to try and be there for other members of the human race.
Susan EisenhowerPresident Dwight Eisenhower's granddaughter
Very few Filipinos know that Quezon was, in his own way, a kind of Schindler. And it has come out and I think people have been proud of that.
Professor Ricardo Trota Jose, Phd.Manila
“Rescue in the Philippines” will recount the relatively unknown story of how a small, eclectic and influential group of businessmen, politicians, and military leaders living in the Philippines took action during one of history’s darkest eras to provide sanctuary to Jews being prosecuted in Europe by the Nazi regime…There is a large and enthusiastic audience for historical documentaries and we expect that this tale of integrity will appeal to viewers.
Christopher Funkhouser, Vice President - American Public TelevisionRead MoreThe biblical prophet Micah asks, “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with thy God?” And that injunction was carried out by…Manuel Quezon, when in the latter 1930′s, he opened the doors of his country to 1,300 desperate German and Austrian Jews, victims of Nazism. It’s an injunction that was followed by the Frieder Brothers of Cincinnati when they supported and gave employment in their Manila cigar enterprises to these immigrants. And it was supported by Paul V. McNutt, American High Commissioner in the Philippines when he expedited the rescue. This rare piece of humane W.W.II history has not been told before. Now it is documented by the Frieder granddaughters in the ‘must see’ production of ‘Rescue in the Philippines.’
Lotte Cassel HershfieldPhilippine refugee
Compassion is a very important emotion though, and I think that’s what makes that period so inspirational, the fact that people could feel that compassion and did put themselves at risk to do something.
Susan EisenhowerPresident Dwight Eisenhower's granddaughter
He [Eisenhower] found a situation in the Philippines that an opportunity to give and provide moral support to this courageous family, who decided to take the initiative when they didn’t have to. It’s a remarkable story, I think, of a band of individuals in the Philippines far away from where the crisis was occurring. People who decided to do something and to go to that effort…it shows the power of the story and the effort itself.
Susan EisenhowerPresident Dwight Eisenhower's granddaughter
They didn’t necessarily see themselves as heroes. They were just doing the right thing, and they responded to a crisis in the right way, regardless of the fact that it wasn’t necessarily great for their careers, as a president or as a representative of the military, or even for a career as a cigar maker.
The Reverend Luis Cortés, presidentEsperanza
