Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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One of the displays in the museum’s permanent exhibition tells the story of the St. Louis, a German liner that transported 937 passengers from Hamburg, Germany, to Havana, Cuba, on May 13, 1939.
The Cuban government, however, canceled the landing permits for all but 28 passengers (22 had U.S. visas, four were Spanish citizens, two were Cuban nationals). The ship was forced to leave and sailed near the Florida coast, but passengers were not allowed to enter the United States since they did not have visas.
The ship sailed back toward Europe on June 6. Great Britain admitted 288 passengers, and the Netherlands took in 181. Another 214 went to Belgium, and 224 took temporary refuge in France.
All but one of the passengers that was admitted by Great Britain survived World War II, but 254 of the passengers who returned to continental Europe died during the Holocaust.
Weatherly, a defensive end preparing for his fourth pro season, had previously visited the museum. He also had taken a trip to Germany when he was in 10th grade.
“There were a lot of, ‘Oh my God’ moments. Or, ‘That really happened?’ That was the magnitude of the devastation overseas,” Weatherly said.
Not everyone will go to Germany, or maybe even to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, but Weatherly hopes the existence of memorials and museums will help multiple groups of people understand “trials and tribulations” of others.
“Let’s all help each other move forward,” Weatherly said. “I feel like that’s the next step. We’ve just got to keep going.”