International Cables of Jewish Refugees in Vilnius

On September 1st, 1939 the German Army invaded Poland. England and France, both Poland’s allies, declared war on Germany two days later. Despite heroic resistance, Poland collapsed in weeks and the Polish government went into exile. Around 15,000 Jewish refugees made their way to Vilnius right after the war broke. Men, especially Jewish men, had been advised to leave Warsaw to avoid falling into the hands of the Germans. This is a selection of cables sent by these refugees to friends and family members around the world, pleading for help in getting a visa to escape the war. These desperate messages were sent to Brazil, Chile, England, France, Palestine, and the United States, among others. However, as one message notes, many countries had several bureaucratic requirements in addition to delayed visa processing times. And the refugees almost always had nothing—no money, no home—making their chances for escape even slimmer.