Menachem Shapiro was born in the DP camp Santa Maria di Leuca, Italy on June 21, 1946 to Hannah Buz (b. 1912) and Moshe Shapiro (b.1906) both from Shavli, Lithuania (then part of the Russian Empire.) Hannah and Moshe and had one daughter, Rivka, born in 1938. Moshe worked at a wood processing plant. Hannah and Moshe were sent to the Shavli ghetto in July 1941; Riva was sent to Auschwitz in November 1943 during the children's roundup; she died there. Moshe was sent to Dachau or a subcamp of Dachau and oversaw the building of roads for the SS. After liberation, Moshe traveled via Greece to Italy in a jeep with a friend from the Beitar youth movement, Dov Similansky. In Italy they met other family members who survived. Moshe, Hannah, and Menachem legally emigrated to Palestine in February 1948. They spent the next two years living with their father’s sister who had immigrated to Palestine in the 1920s. Moshe Shapiro probably acquired his film and still picture camera on the black market in Italy.
Quick pan of buildings at Santa Maria di Leuca DP camp, brief shot of two women and a Red Cross truck. Hannah plays with her son in the water at the beach, Moshe walks toward camera holding the baby. Hannah and Menachem play outdoors on a blanket with various toys, headphones. Hannah and another friend (seen in Film ID 4155 at 6:02) make faces for the cameraman. 02:11 City EXTs, building with British flag, plaque/crest in Bari city (note the fountain of Cavour Avenue in later shots). Men in uniform and large crowd of protestors gathered on street. Young people stand on others’ shoulders, making speeches. A handcrafted sign with a swastika and British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin’s face: “Successore di Hitler: Mr. Bevin.” Anti-British demonstration in the streets, bicycles, uniformed men, Red Cross truck in a public square, etc. 04:45 Signs in Hebrew, English and Italian: “Open the gates,” “Basta con le […] inocente […] Palestina!!”, etc. More processions of people with signs protesting the British policy against immigration into Palestine and Bevin’s outspoken comments in March 1947.
Santa Maria di Leuca DP camp; Jewish family; protesting British policy against immigration