SAN DIEGO (SDJW) — One of the lesser known stories of Holocaust rescue is that of the Philippines, which welcomed refugees from Nazi Germany during the 1930s. The story is told in the documentary An Open Door: Holocaust Haven in the Philippines produced and directed by Noel “Sonny” Izon and SDSU history lecturer Bonnie Harris, Ph.D.
Izon and Harris will screen a 16-minute version of the documentary during a 7 p.m. meeting on Wednesday, August 18, of the Beth Israel Men’s Club. The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session.
Izon, based in College Heights, Maryland, is a native of the Philippines who immigrated to the United States in 1967, where he has been involved in creative and broadcast design and production for over four decades.
Harris wrote her Ph.D. dissertation on the acceptance of Holocaust refugees in the Philippines. Her extensive research was triggered by the discovery of biographical materials about Cantor Joseph Cysner in the San Diego State University-based collection of the Jewish Historical Society of San Diego. Cysner had served as a cantor for Tifereth Israel Synagogue following World War II.
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Preceding based on information provided by the Beth Israel Men’s Club