Richard Burke

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Ms St. Louis

Its keel was laid in twenty-five,
It launched in twenty-eight;
Among those christening its bow,
Who could have guessed its fate,
When nine hundred German Jews,
Were forced to emigrate.

They named it the Saint Louis,
Pride of the Hamburg fleet,
It weighed seventeen thousand tons,
And stretched six hundred feet,
Serving passengers of all kinds,
From third class to elite.

But back in May of thirty-nine,
All shared a single goal,
Escape from Hitler's Germany,
No matter what the toll,
For distance brought the hope of life,
And solace to the soul.

Captain Schroder was in command,
As they eased from Hamburg's slips,
And started what would become,
Four agonizing trips,
Filled with fear and disappointment,
And lies from leaders' lips.

Schroeder, an honorable man,
Had sailed for thirty years,
Beloved by all his passengers,
Admired by his peers,
He knew his guests were in distress,
And sought to calm their fears.

He did not harbor prejudice,
And cautioned all his crew,
To give each passenger on board,
The respect that was their due,
Even covered Hitler's portrait,
To hide it from their view.

The trip began like any cruise,
That passengers might take,
Fine food and music in the lounge,
Afternoon tea with cake,
But this wasn't just any cruise,
Most lives here were at stake.

Their destination was Cuba,
All visas were in hand,
But Cuba passed a new decree -
Refugees now were banned,
Tho' the ship spent days at anchor,
Few Jews could step on land.

The passengers were "scared to death, "
Some tried to swim to shore,
A man named Max slashed both his wrists,
From loss of hope but more -
From centuries of prejudice,
‘gainst the kippah that he wore.

FDR's administration,
Urged Cuba to relent,
As did a Jewish Committee,
Through messages they sent,
But Cuba's biased policies,
No Jew could circumvent.

With Cuba's doors now firmly shut,
The ship turned back to sea,
Seeking a port to let them in,
Wherever that might be,
Miami, New York, Halifax,
Schroder would try all three.

But in the "Land of Immigrants, "
No welcome mat was found,
When Schroder tried in Florida,
The order was turn round,
He even thought to force his way,
By running his ship aground.

But that proved an empty gesture,
The Coast Guard blocked the shore,
Home to one-hundred-thirty million,
Had space for not one more,
Nor would Canada's officials,
Allow Jews to come ashore.


Schroder refused to give up hope,
He'd find some safe place yet,
Return to Europe was a must,
But how avoid its threat,
Since England seemed the safest place,
It's there his course was set.

On June 13th the halfway point,
At last there came good news,
Belgium, Holland, France and England,
Offered refuge for the Jews,
Their fear-filled days and sleepless nights,
Became a joyful cruise.

It seemed the crisis now had passed,
But old threats rose once more,
By winter time in forty-one,
All Europe was at war,
With Nazis rounding up the Jews,
That they had missed before.

Of the original nine hundred,
Two hundred fifty-four,
Perished in the Nazi camps,
Of Auschwitz and Sobibor,
And do not all who turned their backs,
Have consciences to explore.

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