Commemoration MS St. Louis Washington, DC September 21, 2012 Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Hannah Rosenthal and Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Douglas Davidson will honor surviving passengers of the MS St. Louis on Monday, September 24, at 11 a.m. in the George C. Marshall Conference Center Auditorium at the U.S. Department of State. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns will deliver remarks. Survivors of the St. Louis will attend this event and will present to the Department of State Archives a signed copy of Senate Resolution 111, which recognized June 6, 2009 as the 70th anniversary of when the MS St. Louis returned to Europe after its passengers were refused admittance to the United States. They will also present a “Proclamation of Gratitude” to the Ambassadors of Belgium, Britain, France, and the Netherlands. A special theatrical presentation, The Trial of FDR, will be performed, allowing the audience to reflect on the difficult decisions leaders faced at the time. Following the presentation, a panel of survivors will answer questions about their experiences. The German steamer MS St. Louis set sail in 1939 carrying 937 German Jewish refugees bound for Cuba. They were denied entry to Cuba, as well as to the United States and Canada. Forced to return to Europe, nearly one third of the passengers ultimately died in Auschwitz. The remarks will be open to the press. Final access time for press: 10:15 a.m. from the 21st Street entrance. Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) A U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, or Foreign Press Center),

1. AN AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHT :
ROBERT KRAKOW
TWO ORIGINAL PLAYS, TWO REMARKABLE TRIALS
THE FALSE WITNESS AND THE TRIAL OF FRANKLIN D. ROOSVELT

2. With Actor Richard
Kind and Director
Arthur Hiller
(Love story)
ROBERT KRAKOW

5.  On December 1, 1989, while
taking a walk, I was struck with
the idea that I would write, in play
form, the trial of Adolf. This
decisive moment represented the
release of a creative process that
had been welling up during a long
period of reflection and research.
 At that time, Krakow did not
imagine that his original version of
The False Witness would be
published in 1992, and he would
continue to work on his artistic
project for 20 years.

6. WITH FREDERICK DOUGLASS LEADER OF THE ABOLITIONIST
MOVEMENT, AS THE VOICE OF CONSCIOUSNESS …
Historical figures Actors

7. ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
CLICK ENTER FOR NEXT PAGE PRESENTATION
A graduate of Georgetown University Law School, Washington DC, Robert
Krakow became a faculty member at the American University, George
Mason University and Catholic University Graduate School. He began his
legal career as a trial lawyer. Having a strong background in criminal law
studies, he soon developed an intense interest in the procedures and
polemics used to influence juries. He developed database management
software and served as a software administrator for multi-user systems
utilized by law firms. Krakow’s background influenced his creative choices
in writing The False Witness. He relied on his computer skills to manage
and analyze voluminous quantities of historical data and on his legal
experience to design the courtroom setting for the stage.
Driven to understand the conflict between Jewish identity and the
ideological forces, both historical and contemporary, Krakow began to study
the Holocaust. He was motivated to discover the roots of Hitler’s anti-
Semitism.
Krakow began to question the modern perception of the causes of the
Holocaust by researching for deeper reasons that could explain this
unprecedented historical phenomenon

8. HOLLYWOOD
With
James
Cromwell
George Segal
…

9. THE FALSE WITNESS
CLICK ENTER FOR NEXT PAGE PRESENTATION
The False Witness is a morality play which questions our right to assign the
blame for the holocaust only to Hitler and his third Reich. The play challenges
the conventional wisdom and seeks to lift the curtain on the subject of who is
really to blame. As Adolf Hitler is being summoned before the Criminal Court
of the High Tribunal, this work proposes to put religion and mankind on trial
for the tragedy known to history as the Holocaust. As the Defense counsel for
Adolf Hitler summons his witnesses before the Tribunal, it becomes clear that
Hitler's claim of being an instrument for the real wishes of mankind rings all
true. The testimony of Martin Luther, William Shakespeare, Richard Wagner,
Henry Ford, Franklin Roosevelt and Pope Pius XII are submitted to the jury,
the public itself, another element of the originality of the play.
The False Witness is a statement about historical complicity and looks back
into time in search of the origins of mankind's darkest era.

12. THE INSPIRATION FOR THE PLAY
« THE TRIAL OF FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT »
CLICK ENTER FOR NEXT PAGE
The Trial Of Franklin D. Roosevelt was inspired by the saga of the voyage of the
St. Louis.
The SS St Louis, a German Transatlantic carrying over 900 Jewish refugees, left
Hamburg on May 13, 1939 in a desperate attempt to flee Nazi Germany. Although
the passengers had landing certificates granted by the Cuban immigration
authorities, the Cuban government denied entry to the refugees. The captain
headed north to Florida. Upon reaching the shores of Miami Beach on June 5,
1939, the St Louis passengers made their desperate plea for safe haven to the
United States Government, sending telegrams directly to President and Mrs.
Roosevelt pleading for political asylum. President Roosevelt and Secretary of
State Cordell Hull denied their request. The ship was ordered to return to
Germany. France, Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium welcomed the
passengers on their return to Europe.
A quarter of the refugees perished in the camps when the war broke three months
later.

13. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAY
THE TRIAL OF FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT explores the political
motivations of the President and his intimate deputies behind the
handling of the crisis of Jewish refugees before and during the war.
The play is also presented as a trial with a judgment and an interaction
with the public. After the performance, the survivors come to talk about
this part of history with the public.
R. Krakow’s plays have been performed throughout the United States
over the past 15 years.
He is the founder of the legacy of the SS St. Louis. The Foundation's
mission is to provide education through drama to students worldwide.
A documentary film, "Passengers J", includes the Trial of Franklin D.
Roosevelt, as well as interviews with 6 surviving St. Louis passengers.

16. CORDELL HULL
TIME magazine
A man who perhaps embodies the word controversial, Cordell Hull
received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945 for his prominent role in
establishing the U.N. While his efforts to start the U.N. were
admirable, his actions six years earlier caused widespread
confusion. Hull was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Secretary of
State during the S.S. St. Louis crisis when 950 Jewish refugees,
seeking asylum from Nazi persecution, set sail for the U.S. from
Hamburg. Despite FDR showing willingness to help, Hull, together
with Southern Democrats, voiced strong opposition and threatened
to withdraw support for FDR in the forthcoming election if he didn't
follow suit. On June 4, 1939, the President denied the ship entry,
forcing it to return to Europe, where many of its passengers
subsequently died in the Holocaust.

18. State
Secretary
Hillary
Clinton
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
Will open
the
ceremony

19. PROGRAM
CLICK ENTER FOR NEXT PAGE PRESENTATION
State Secretary Hillary Clinton will open the ceremony.
The SS St Louis Passengers are coming as International Ambassadors of
Goodwill and will participate in a special event which will include:
•The welcoming ceremony led by Special Envoy Hannah Rosenthal,
Special Envoy Douglas Davidson and Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat which
acknowledges the courage and patriotism of the Passengers as well as
their exceptional contributions to American society
•The presentation of Passengers’ Proclamation to the representatives of
France, England, Belgium and Holland; the signed Proclamation will
express their appreciation for being granted safe haven in June, 1939 and
also honor the memories of these nation’s brave citizens who risked their
lives to shelter and protect Jews during the wartime period
•The presentation of Senate Resolution 111 carrying the signatures of thirty
four SS St Louis passengers to the US Department of State to be held in
its permanent archives
•The theatrical presentation of The Trial of Franklin D Roosevelt by
director E. Holdridge
•A panel discussion chaired by Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat

20. DIRECTOR FOR THE PLAY:
 Eleanor Holdridge
 B.A., Sarah Lawrence College; M.F.A, Yale School of Drama
Assistant Professor, Head of the M.F.A Directing program of Catholic University
 Off-Broadway productions include Steve & Idi by David Grimm at the Rattlestick
Playwrights Theatre, Cycling Past The Matterhorn at the Clurman Theatre, The
Imaginary Invalid, and Mary Stuart at the Pearl Theatre Company. Among her regional
productions are Gee’s Bend (the Arden Theatre), The Crucible and Much Ado About
Nothing (Perseverance Theatre); Noises Off and Art (Triad Stage); Julius Caesar and
Macbeth (Milwaukee Shakespeare); The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Alabama
Shakespeare Festival); Hamlet (premiere, national tour and remount), As You Like It,
Lettice And Lovage, The Tempest, Twelfth Night (Shakespeare & Company). A
Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis); Henry V (Shakespeare
On The Sound); The Taming Of The Shrew and The Tempest (Philadelphia
Shakespeare Festival); Betrayal (Portland Stage Company); The Lion In Winter
(Northern Stage); and The Cenci, The Two Noble Kinsmen, (Red Heel Theatre
Company). In the past she has held positions as Artistic Director for the Red Heel
Theatre Company, Resident Assistant Director at the Shakespeare Theatre and
Resident Director at New Dramatists. She has directed and taught students at the Yale
School of Drama, NYU’s graduate program and the Juilliard School, among others.

23. AMBASSADOR EIZENSTAT WILL CHAIR A PANEL CONSISTING OF LEADING
SCHOLARS TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES RAISED BY THE SAGA OF THE SS ST
LOUIS INCLUDING HUMAN RIGHTS, IMMIGRATION, REFUGEE POLICY, ANTI-
SEMITISM AND DIPLOMACY AND POLITICS.

24. PROCLAMATION CEREMONY FOR AMBASSADORS

25. DONATION OF SENATE RESOLUTION 111 TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT ARCHIVES
IN MEMORY OF RICHARD HOLBROOKE

27. US CONGRESSMAN RON KLEIN
DOUBLE CLICK ENTER FOR NEXT PAGE

28. THE FONDATION
The mission of the SS St. Louis legacy project is to
promote a deeper awareness of the issues of
Human Rights
Refugee policy
Immigration
Racism.
Through its proprietary education through drama
program the Foundation produces events, educational
presentations, and curricula that serve a worldwide
student body as well as institutional and communal
audiences.

29. Created by Pascale Rearte
CONTACT
Pascale MARGUERITE-REARTE
USA 1-561-703 8975
artelegal@aol.com
............................
Copyright © Pascale Rearte