Jewish Community in PH, Quezon’s Game Film Highlighted at Exhibit in Hod HaSharon
An exhibit featuring President Manuel Quezon and the “Manilaners.” (Tel Aviv PE Photo)
TEL AVIV 26 February 2024 – The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv held a screening of the Filipino film Quezon’s Game in Hod HaSharon, a central city in Israel. The screening drew emotional reactions from Israelis who learned of President Manuel L. Quezon and his heroic act of giving refuge to the Jews fleeing the Holocaust in the 1930s.
Quezon’s Game retells the events that led to the Jews’ escape to the Philippines by featuring a spectrum of emotional scenes from the hardship President Quezon encountered as he battled with his sickness to the humanitarian aspects of American bureaucracy and politics. One of the major plot points of the film is the Jews’ escape from Europe and their arrival in Manila before the Japanese invasion where they were dubbed as Manilaners.
Ambassador Pedro R. Laylo underscoring Quezon’s moral courage and compassion in his remarks. (Tel Aviv PE Photo)
Philippine Ambassador Pedro R. Laylo underscored the importance of remembering President Quezon’s moral courage and compassion during one of humanity’s darkest moments. “We bear witness to the sacrifice and survival of the Jewish people during the Holocaust, as well as the heroism of the righteous who aided and rescued them,” said Ambassador Laylo. Furthermore, he urged the attendees not to forget the story of the film as “we confront the rise of antisemitism across the globe.”
The screening was held on the first death anniversary of Max Weissler, one of the Manilaners, and the father of Danny Weissler who worked with the Embassy and the central city in organizing the event. Several guests include the family and friends of the Weisslers, Hod HaSharon Mayor Amir Kochavi, and Filipino community members.
Subsequent screenings of Quezon’s Game are planned to reach a wider audience in Israel and the Embassy hopes that the film could bolster President Quezon among the Righteous Gentiles inducted at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum and the Friends of Zion Museum. END
Guests gather in front of the venue in anticipation of the event.. (Tel Aviv PE Photo)
For more information, visit https://www.telavivpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.org.il, https://www.facebook.com/PHinIsrael/, or https://twitter.com/PHinIsrael.