Dedication of land for Jewish refugees in the Philippines, 1940

The five Frieder brothers from Cincinnati, Ohio (Philip, Henry, Alex, Morris, and Herbert) made their fortune in cigars, which they manufactured in the Philippines. The brothers took turns managing the cigar production. Every two years, one of the brothers (excluding Henry) and his family would relocate to their home at 44 Brixton Hill, Santa Mesa, Manila. The Frieder brothers were passionate poker players and often played with influential individuals, such as President Manuel L. Quezon, the US High Commissioner Paul V. McNutt, and Army Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower. In the late 1930s, together, they devised a way to provide refuge in the Philippines to German and Austrian Jews. President Quezon stipulated that those who came not be a burden on the Philippine economy, so the tiny Jewish community in Manila accepted that responsibility. While McNutt pressured the US State Department to keep Philippine borders open to refugees, the Frieder brothers (working with the Joint Distribution Committee) arranged transportation and visas for European Jews who possessed skills in fourteen occupations, one being cigar manufacturing. President Quezon provided a temporary home for the refugees where they could live and grow their own food on the land he was developing for his son. The haven was named Mariquina Hall. Between 1937 and 1941, the Frieder brothers, McNutt, Quezon, and Eisenhower aided in the rescue of over 1,300 Jews. In December 1941, the Japanese invaded the Philippines. All Frieder brothers had returned to the US a month earlier in anticipation of the invasion. Between December 1941 and September 1945, Manila was under Japanese occupation. Ironically, during that time, unlike all other internationals who were interned in a make-shift prison in Santo Tomas University, the Jewish refugees were considered Germans - therefore allies of Japan - and not imprisoned. A few refugees were killed in the crossfire between US and Japanese armies as the battle for Manila ended. Birthdates: Alex Frieder - December 2, 1893 Corinne Rosenberg Frieder - March 11, 1893 Edna Frieder Lichtig - August 7, 1918 Louise Frieder - June 12, 1922 Alice Frieder Weston - July 1, 1926 Dedication of Mariquina Hall in Manila on April 23, 1940. President Manuel Quezon offered this private land (called Mariquina Hall) to the Jewish Rescue Committee in order to provide housing for Jewish refugees. Guests gather outdoors. 01:02:51 Alex Frieder speaks to the audience, while President Quezon sits at the table to the side. 01:03:05 President Quezon addresses the crowd, Herbert Frieder in back. Quezon shakes hands with some men on the stage. Alex Frieder and President Quezon walk together through the crowd to survey the land. CUs, side views of President Quezon speaking. The camera pans around the crowd, including the Frieder family (Alice, Alex's youngest daughter, b. 1926, is the teenage girl in the white dress with dark curly hair). Alex smokes (camera left, facing the camera). Survey of the landscape. Attendees mingle. At the 52 second mark, to the left of Quezon, is Godfrey Berger a Jewish refugee from Vienna who was hired by Quezon to design refugee housing in Mindinao. Berger was an architect who had served in the U.S. Army during World War II and later emigrated to California.