Professor Kaplan will focus on Jewish refugees in Portugal during World War II and will examine a triangle of actors: the Jewish refugees themselves; the Portuguese national and local governments, civil servants, and citizens; and Jewish and transnational philanthropies.
Using diplomatic, political, and legal history, and the history of daily life, Kaplan’s presentation will analyze the conditions, individuals and laws that allowed Portugal to open its doors to tens of thousands of Jewish refugees fleeing war-torn Europe and Nazi persecution.
It will highlight how refugees coped once they arrived, both practically and psychologically.
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