
Indiana University Press
Despite his long career of dedicated work on behalf of Jewish refugees in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s, James Grover McDonald (1886-1964)--also first American Ambassador to the State of Israel--is little known today.
Canadian Friends of Rabbis for Human Rights and the Labour Zionist Farband invite you to come discover this highly unusual and outspoken “Voice among the Silent” through Shuli Eshel’s inspiring documentary, followed by comments and discussion led by Neil Caplan.
As League of Nations "High Commissioner for Refugees Coming from Germany" (1933–1935), McDonald met personally with Adolf Hitler and was one of the first to warn of the Fuhrer's genocidal plans. He resigned in protest upon realizing the lack of backbone among League members. In 1938 McDonald was a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Evian Conference on Jewish refugees, and served as chairman of FDR's Advisory Committee on Political Refugees (1938–1945).
Indiana University Press
In 1945-46, McDonald was named to the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry, which sought a solution to the postwar Arab-Zionist conflict and recommended the immediate admission of 100,000 Jewish refugees into Palestine.
McDonald won the trust and admiration of President Harry S. Truman, who appointed him U.S. Special Representative to Israel upon its creation in May 1948, and later Ambassador to Israel (1949–1951).
Indiana University Press
His voluminous papers and letters were recently published by Indiana University Press, in association with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. A current USHMM exhibit on Americans during the Holocaust fails, however, to mention McDonald--causing some consternation to historians and to our filmmaker Shuli Eshel.
Indiana University Press
Marking the annual United Nations Remembrance of the Holocaust, Canadian Friends of Rabbis for Human Rights and Labour Zionist Farband invite you to a discussion and film screening of "A Voice Among the Silent."
Wednesday January 23, 2019, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Room #124
Cummings Centre, 5151 Cote St Catherine Road
Montreal