The St. Louis Public Library and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) are presenting a discussion on “Refuge Denied: The Voyage of the St. Louis,” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28 at the St. Louis Public Library Central Auditorium, 1301 Olive St.

Scott Miller, USHMM director of curatorial affairs, researcher and co-author of the 2006 book “Refuge Denied: The St. Louis Passengers and the Holocaust,” will lead the presentation with USHMM researcher and co-author Sarah Ogilvie. 

Together, the authors worked to uncover the fates of all 937 refugees aboard the M.S. St. Louis. Ogilvie and Miller scoured archives in Havana, Europe, Israel and the U.S., knocking on doors in New York City neighborhoods and tracking down leads provided by friends, family members and others who knew these passengers to learn what happened to them after they were refused entry to Cuba and then the United States.

“While a tiny fraction of those seeking escape from Nazi Germany on the eve of World War II, the St. Louis passengers are representative of the world’s indifference to the plight of Europe’s Jews under Nazism,” said Ogilvie. “We hope our research will not only reaffirm the individuality of these victims, but remind us that the actions, and inactions, of governments and individuals have real consequences.”

Miller will be joined by Leah Kadden, a survivor of the MS St. Louis. 

Free; RSVP requested at ushmm.org/refuge-missouri.