Welcoming the Stranger

By: Elaine Lehman

 

This week begins overlapping observances for Christians and Jewish peoples worldwide. For Christians, it is to observe Holy Week and prepare for Easter services. For the Jewish peoples, it is to observe Passover and celebrate The Exodus. More than just holidays on our calendars, these observances are enduring reminders for us to empathize with the stranger in our midst, the alone in society: They enjoin us to be sensitive, compassionate to their plight.

As you have seen over the last two years, we Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago have initiated cross-cultural dialogues with profundity of the message which emphasizes our commonality and connections with others. We have also advocated for the rights of immigrants and recognition for overseas children of U.S. military veterans, who are marginalized due to mixed race. It is because of the Filipino heart we reach out to our broader community, to welcome and serve those vulnerable.

In 1939, Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel Quezon implemented an “open door” policy which transformed Manila into a safe haven for 1,200 Jewish refugees persecuted by the Nazis. At that time, almost no country in the world was willing to keep refugees from Nazi Germany. Quezon had been approached by Herbert Frieder and his three sons (namely Alex, Philip, and Morris), American Jewish businessmen originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and owners of the then Manila-based Helena Cigar Factory.

When the news about the Holocaust first broke out in 1938, they started to plan a rescue mission right away. To ensure that their plans would materialize, they asked help from their poker buddies at that time: President Manuel Quezon, US Colonel Dwight Eisenhower, and U.S. High Commissioner Paul McNutt.

Philippines was still on the road to independence from the U.S. Although President Quezon met resistance from Filipinos and Americans alike, he went ahead. He offered asylum, lobbied for a permanent Jewish settlement in Mindanao, and donated land he owned outside Manila for a settlement and farmland for the Jewish people. In the words of Alex Frieder: “He [President Quezon] assured us that, big or little, he raised hell with every one of those persons. He made them ashamed of themselves for being the victim of propaganda intended to further victimize an already persecuted people.”

In April 1940 at the settlement inauguration Quezon said, “It is my hope, and indeed my expectation, that the people of the Philippines will have in the future every reason to be glad that when the time of need came, their country was willing to extend a hand of welcome.”

In this same spirit we FACC extend our hand of welcome to people of diverse cultural backgrounds, religion, language, class, ability, identity. Our work is ethically-based and humanitarian. By including others to join us and learning about them, we learn more about ourselves and our own.

This holiday season, we are obligated to remember the stranger the immigrant the alone. We must remember that Filipinos were once considered the Other here in America. It is because of our Filipino heart that we endeavor to foster dignity and respect and make the Rizal Community Center a welcoming place. This Sunday, like each Sunday afternoon, we will be serving our seniors lunch with humility. We are obligated to help nurture this imperfect but beautiful country to be the glow of worldwide welcome.

 

What It Means To Be Part of A Community

My parents, by example, instilled in me pride of being Filipina and Mexican, and to celebrate our presence in a larger American society. One of my greatest Happiness is to honor our seniors, as I would have my own parents. That is what I was taught. And what we do at the Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago and our Rizal Center. This is what it means to be part of a community.

As we welcomed spring, we honored Mr. Emilio Garcera who has been in hospital. He turned 92 years old in early March. Mr. Garcera is a WWII Veteran and recipient of the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal and former commander of American Legion Filipino American Post 509. He is not so well, he has been declining since last spring – we spent a delightful afternoon with him and Dr. Crisostomo, blessed memory. We served lunch and listened to their stories about Rizal Center and their hopes for our community. Like Dr. Crisostomo had done, Mr. Garcera also gave me instructions about what he would like to see happen here. We will make it so. He is very special to us, and is in our thoughts and prayers.

On Sunday, March 31, we held a large gathering, replete with large lechon, of 150 attendees in celebration of the re-installation of the honorary street sign for Carmelito Llapitan, FACC first president! Thanks so much to Alderman Ameya Pawar and Brad Gregorka, Chief of Staff, of Chicago’s 47th Ward, for facilitating the re-installation of signs. We much appreciate their responsiveness and attention to our inquiry about the original signs, installed in the early 1990s, missing. This gesture is meaningful to us, particularly because 2019 marks the 45th anniversary of the FACC at Rizal Community Center. Established in 1953, the hope, and indeed my expectation, that the people of the Philippines will have in the future every reason to be glad that when the time of need came, their country was willing to extend a hand of welcome.” In this same spirit we FACC extend our hand of welcome to people of diverse cultural backgrounds, religion, language, class, ability, identity. Our work is ethically-based and humanitarian. By including others to join us and learning about them, we learn more about ourselves and our own. This holiday season, we are obligated to remember the stranger the immigrant the alone. We must remember that Filipinos were once considered the Other here in America. It is because of our Filipino heart that we endeavor to foster dignity and respect and make the Rizal Community Center a welcoming place. This Sunday, like each Sunday afternoon, we will be serving our seniors lunch with humility. We are obligated to help nurture this imperfect but beautiful country to be the glow of worldwide welcome. FACC is one of the oldest cultural organizations in the nation and the only FilAm organization to own a building in the region. On this day, we also celebrated women in our community; the Graceland West Community Association celebrating its 40th anniversary; and Mr. Dominador Ramirez, WWII veteran and recipient of the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor, whose family also participated at this event !

We were honored to assist Mr. Ramirez with his presentation for the commemoration of Araw Ng Kagitingan, Day-of-Valor, hosted on April 9 by the Consulate General of the Philippines in Chicago. The event marked the 77th Anniversary of Bataan Death March. He gave a stirring speech about his war experience and military career. Mr. Ramirez was recently appointed as commander of the AL Filipino American Post 509, which returned to the Rizal Center after being turned away by the former administration in 2015. Together, we have been working to build services and support for our veterans and active military personnel.

On April 14, we welcomed old and new community to the Rizal Community Center, to honor Pacifico Bacalzo, an early FACC community member, and his family. He is friend and mentor to many. And now mine. In spite of inclement weather, more than 55 people attended to this joyful reunion; they enjoyed yummy Filipino food and shared memories. It was wonderful to see childhood, elementary and high school friends and their children!. We hope we will see more of everyone.