On Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. EST, the MacArthur Memorial will present a free virtual lecture in honor of Yom HaShoah with writer and researcher Sandra Lanman about her grandmother Elsie, one of 1,300 Jewish refugees who came to the Philippines to avoid persecution in Europe only to face new trials and terrors during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II.
For years, Sandra Lanman knew her grandmother Elsie had escaped Germany to the Philippines only to lose her husband Gunther in the brutal Battle of Manila at the end of World War II. Aside from a few photos and family stories, she knew little else. In 2019, a serendipitous encounter on Facebook led her to Gunther’s great-nephew and a trove of photos of Elsie and Gunther in Manila. The discovery sparked her interest in the history of this little-known Jewish sanctuary from the Holocaust. Through film, photos and Elsie’s own words, Sandy’s presentation tells the story of the rescue of 1,300 European Jews and the challenges and terrors they faced under the Japanese occupation during World War II.
Sandra Lanman is an award-winning writer and public relations professional in New Jersey. She began her career as a staff writer for The Home News, a NJ daily, where she won awards for health, medical and human interest writing. She later worked as a public relations professional in the arts and public television, and as a director of media relations for Rutgers University, winning national recognition for several projects, including crisis communication following 9/11. She has been a consultant and writer serving clients in higher education, music and the nonprofit sector, and has volunteered with organizations focused on the environment and hunger. Sandra holds a bachelor’s degree in English and master’s in communication and information studies, both from Rutgers University.
This virtual presentation will include a Q&A session. This event is free and open to the public.
