 |
 |
Very revealing! Amazing historical information !: This book is certainly a most amazing and remarkable feat.It reveals quite a number of historical events and facts that demolish many myths and prejudices regarding Francisco Franco.Especially interesting is his protection of the many hundreds,perhaps thousands,of persecuted Jews in the face of Hitler's monstrous nazi death onslaught.Franco's handling of the WWII "Axis of Evil",his retaining Spain out of the war in spite of ominous and overwhelming pressures,his almost unique humanitarian and compassionate assistance to the to- be- murdered Jewish people,his patriotism and devotion to Spain and rock solid serenity in the face of great dangers is well documented and source supported in this book.What a pity that these achievements have received such little attention!Could it have been that Communism enormous propaganda resources did'nt take kindly to Franco's defeat of its attempt to take over Spain?.....Bravo for the Boyars!!!!
Franciso Franco: Protector of Sephardic Jews: Many have the true notion that Spanish Dictator Francisco Franco craftily prevented his Civil War ally Adolf Hitler from marching 20 divisions through Spain in World War II and occupying British controlled Gibraltar. This prevented the Axis from sealing off the western end of the Mediterranean and made a major contribution to ultimate Allied victory. What many may, however, learn for the first time in the Jane and Bert Boyars' 2001 documentary novel HITLER STOPPED BY FRANCO is that Franco also got away with provoking Hitler by his bold assistance to Jews. An introductory quote (p. 104): "The Sephardim, Jews of Spain and Portugal, had not seen Spain since Ferdinand and Isabella had expelled them in 1492 after giving them the opportunity to remain by becoming true Catholics." Franco's positive attitude towards Jews is at least six years older than Hitler's 1933 rise to power in Germany. As early as 1927 as a fighting Colonel commanding thousands of men in Spanish Morocco, Francisco Franco received permission from Madrid to use his troops to protect from Muslims the local Sephardic Jews. The Sephardic community was grateful and in 1936 supported Franco with money at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. In 1927 Spanish dictator Primo de Rivera had also told Franco that Sephardic Jews might return to Spain, become citizens and worship as they pleased. This invitation was deep in Franco's memory when, in 1940, French Jews began beseeching Spanish authorities in Vichy France for asylum on the basis of Spanish citizenship. (p. 104) As told by Franco's wife to the authors, Franco then briefly but decisively mulled over what to do. "...I have sworn to give my life protecting Spaniards." (p. 105) After prayer, Franco authorized issuing Spanish passports to Sephardim as their right under Spanish law. Asked by consular officials how to tell Sephardim from non-Sephardim, Franco ruled, "They are all Sephardim." By September 1940 Hitler was pressuring Franco to cede to Germany one of the Canary Islands and to allow the Wehrmacht to march on Gibraltar through Spain. (p.106) By November 1940 Hitler told Serrano Suner, Franco's brother-in-law, that he had at the moment 186 inactive German divisions and he intended to use some of them to take Gibraltar. Nor had he failed to notice Franco's Jewish policy. "Spanish passports are being issued to Jews who have never seen Spain, nor have their ancestors in precisely 448 years. ... Suddenly French are Spanish. And from Poland suddenly Poles are Spaniards. And in Denmark and the Netherlands ... overnight my enemies have Spanish passports and are able to leave my jurisdiction." (p. 159) And leave they did. Nor did Jews ever forget that Franco was their benefactor. For the rest of this little known story -- and for much more-- read HITLER STOPPED BY FRANCO. -OOO-
| Author: | Boyar Jane & Burt | | Binding: | Paperback | | Dewey Decimal Number: | 813.54 | | EAN: | 9780971039209 | | ISBN: | 0971039208 | | Number Of Pages: | 323 | | Publication Date: | 2001-01 |
|