Foreign Language Presentations
2020 Virtual Student Conference
Foreign Language Presentations
Amy Lakritz
The Dominican Republic and the Evian Conference
Abstract: Beginning in 1933, the Nazis initiated the process of making Germany “judenrein,” cleansed of all Jews. Life for Jewish citizens became so difficult that by 1938, approximately 150000 German Jews had fled the country. When Germany annexed Austria in March, 1938, an additional 185000 Jewish Austrian citizens came under German rule. A Jewish refugee crisis was born. Many Jews desired to flee Europe, but visas were unavailable due to quotas and discrimination. In order to address this refugee problem, 32 countries attended the Evian Conference from July 6-15, 1938. All 32 countries expressed sympathy with the plight of the Jewish refugees but only one country would offer visas and refuge- the Dominican Republic. This presentation will offer a brief history of the role of the Dominican Republic in the rescue of Jewish refugees.
Amy Lakritz, MD is a student of Dr. Daniel Castaneda and has studied with him for the last four semesters. She hopes to gain enough proficiency in Spanish to work with Spanish speakers in a medical setting. She enjoys spending time with her family and attending the Spanish Coffee Hour.