How the Philippines saved Jews during World War Two

In September 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were introduced in Nazi Germany.In 1938, seven-year-old Lotte Hershfield and her family left their home in Breslau, which was part of Germany and is now known as Wroclaw in Poland.Their journey took them across continents by ship, train and on horse and cart.They eventually arrived in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, one of the few places welcoming Jewish refugees fleeing persecution.As they rebuilt their lives, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and, soon after, invaded the Philippines.When United States forces eventually reclaimed the islands, Lotte and her family once again packed up their lives, this time settling in Baltimore, Maryland.Now aged 94, Lotte shares the memories of her life in Manila with Megan Jones.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.(Photo: Lotte Hershfield. Credit: Lotte Hershfield)