What Americans thought of Jewish refugees on the eve of World War II It’s a history lesson worth considering now. WASHINGTONPOST.COM|BY ISHAAN THAROOR
Four months before Kristallnacht, 2/3 of polled Americans favored keeping refugees from Fascist lands, mostly Jews, out of the US. Two months after, 61% of Americans opposed a proposal to accept 10,000 Jewish refugee children. The SS St. Louis, carrying desperate Jewish refugees later that year, was refused entry to the US, and under US pressure, refused entry to Cuba; the refugees were sent back to the Nazis. The anti-refugee crowd today has a “proud” history to aspire to. The Jews among them should hang their heads in shame.