WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Senators Herb Kohl (D-WI) and George Voinovich (R-OH)introduced a Senate Resolution recognizing June 6, 2009 as the 70^th anniversary when passengers of the M.S. St. Louis were denied safe harbor in the United States. The M.S. St. Louis, a German ocean liner carrying 937 Jewish refugees seeking asylum, was turned away from a port in Southern Florida in the tense months leading up to World War II.

"My hope is that this resolution will raise awareness about the tragic events surrounding the M.S. St. Louis, and the fateful decision to send the refugees back to Europe,” Kohl said. “Future generations need to know this story so that it is never repeated.”

“In our quest for tolerance and peace, we must rely on truth and knowledge,” Sen. Voinovich said. “We must never forget the atrocity that is the Holocaust and the role our nation played in the fates of the M.S. St. Louis refugees. We must continue to commit our nation and our government to a spirit of tolerance and compassion.”

On June 6, 1939, the M.S. St. Louis began its return trip to Europe after a disheartening voyage to find refuge from escalating anti-Semitic violence in Nazi Germany. Only 28 of the St. Louis’ passengers were allowed to disembark in Havana, Cuba, with more than 900 remaining. Citizens of the United States were sympathetic to the plight of these refugees, but strict adherence to immigration laws denied them asylum.  

As a result of the shameful decision not to allow them sanctuary in the U.S., over 250 of the St. Louis’ passengers died during the Holocaust, while many others suffered in Nazi concentration camps. This resolution recognizes the survivors by commemorating the 70^th anniversary of the ship’s return to Europe.  

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