Hitlers Jewish Refugees

An award-winning historian presents an emotional history of Jewish refugees biding their time in Portugal as they attempt to escape Nazi Europe This riveting book describes the dramatic experiences of Jewish refugees as they fled Hitlers regime and then lived in limbo in Portugal until they could reach safer havens abroad. Drawing attention not only to the social and physical upheavals these refugees experienced, Marion Kaplan also highlights their feelings as they fled their homes and histories, while having to beg strangers for kindness. Portugals dictator, Antnio de Oliveira Salazar, admitted the largest number of Jews fleeing westwardtens of thousands of thembut then set his secret police on those who did not move along quickly enough. Yet Portugals people left a lasting impression on refugees for their caring and generosity. Most refugees in Portugal showed strength and stamina as they faced unimagined challenges. An emotional history of fleeing, this book probes how specific locations touched refugees inner lives, including the borders they nervously crossed or the overcrowded transatlantic ships that signaled their liberation.