Celebrating Quanza:The Strange Voyage of the Not-so-Damned Ship of Jewish Refugees, and Its Stranger Story Since

• In Event: Critical Crossroads: Jewish Responses and Experiences during the Refugee Crises of the Twentieth Century

Abstract

In 1940, the SS Quanza sailed to the Americas with over three hundred European refugees. After stops in New York City and Veracruz (Mexico), more than eighty remained aboard, to be returned to Europe. When the ship stopped in Virginia for refueling, a maritime attorney (and local Jewish community member) sued the ship’s owners, alleging breach of contract (for failure to take the passengers to Mexico as stipulated). This kept the ship in Norfolk, giving members of the U.S. State Department—and the First Lady—enough time to remove the refugees. Amid other accounts of refugee tragedy, including the St. Louis one year earlier, and despite arguments that the events involving the SS Quanza led directly to a tightening of U.S. refugee policy, few people know about this ship and its passengers. This paper examines the circumstances related to the SS Quanza, in 1940 and in various manifestations since.

author

• Eric Michael Mazur, Virginia Wesleyan College