The Philippine Embassy in Israel recently launched Balai Quezon, a museum that pays tribute to Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel Quezon’s heroic efforts to grant asylum to more than one thousand Jews during the Holocaust. Balai Quezon houses memorabilia and testimonies related to President Quezon’s open-door policy, including Celeste Lecaroz’s portrait of President Quezon rendered in spontaneous realism style. Lecaroz hopes that Balai Quezon will inspire people to appreciate the life and leadership of President Quezon and continue his legacy. “He did not hesitate to do the right (thing) during a horrible time in history when the rest of the world looked the other way.”
