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Madrid, Spain
Seat of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco’s fascist-nationalist government since he seized power in the bloody Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Franco’s regime was aligned with the Axis powers but tolerated—at least in the early war years—the transit of Jewish refugees from Europe through Spain en route to Portugal. Barbara Bandler and her family came to Madrid from France in early 1941 and spent a few months here while her mother recovered from burn injuries sustained during an air raid in Nice. When Margit’s wounds were sufficiently healed, the Bandlers continue their quest to find a safe haven. Their next station was Lisbon, Portugal.
Lussinpiccolo, Italy [Mali Losinj, Croatia]
An island located in the Adriatic Sea before the coast of what is today Croatia, Lussinpiccolo (now Lošinj) became part of Italy following World War I. Barbara Bandler Steinmetz spent the first years of her life here, where her parents owned and operated a small resort hotel, the Hotel Alhambra. From 1947, following World War II, Lussinpiccolo became part of Yugoslavia. Since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, the island of Lošinj belongs to Croatia.
Lisbon, Portugal
Portugal remained neutral in the war but maintained friendly ties to the Allies. After the German invasion of France, Lisbon was the only remaining neutral port with service to the Americas from Europe. Many refugees and refugee support organizations flocked to the city. The Bandlers came to Lisbon from Madrid in 1941. Barbara and her sister attended school while their parents went from embassy to embassy trying to find a place for their family out of harm’s way. While in Lisbon, Alexander Bandler learned of the DORSA project to bring Jewish refugees to the Dominican Republic; he applied and was accepted.
La Vega, Dominican Republic
Barbara and Ann Bandler attended a Catholic convent school in La Vega, since there was no school in Jarabacoa. The sisters were admitted to the Colegio Inmaculada Concepción on condition that their identity as Jewish refugees be kept secret. Barbara lived at the school in La Vega from 1942 – 1945 and was happy there, despite the secrecy to which she and her sister were sworn.
This map features a selection of locations that figure in the history of the Holocaust. This is not a comprehensive map. The featured locations were selected based on their relevance to the Survival & Witness project. Many sites have been omitted due to the limited scope of this project; new locations will be added as the project is expanded.