An Unknown Country – Exploring Holocaust History in Ecuador

On Wednesday May 27, 2026, guests gathered at the Spungen home for a special event exploring Holocaust history in Latin America.

The event was inspired by Cecilia L. (born in Argentina), a docent at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, as well as our Foundation’s recent passion in wanting to expand our Holocaust exhibits to include more South and Central America artifacts.

We had two very special guests of honor at the event: Ruth Engel and Eva Zelig.

• Ruth’s parents (her mother was from Austria and father from Poland) were both Holocaust survivors who escaped and found refuge in Ecuador. Ruth was born in Quito, Ecuador, and now resides in Chicago.
• Eva’s parents escaped from Czechoslovakia and also found refuge in Ecuador, where Eva was born. She is the producer of the Emmy-nominated documentary film, An Unknown Country (2015). The film tells the story of European Jews who fled Nazi persecution and found their way to Ecuador. About 2,700 Jews immigrated to Ecuador between 1933-1943, and by 1945, there were about 3,000 living in Ecuador. Eva lives in New York but was in Chicago for this special event.

Ruth brought her husband, Juan, to the event, and we discovered that he is also a Holocaust survivor; his parents fled Europe and he and his twin sister were born Christmas Day, 1940.

Prior to the event, we requested that everyone watch Eva’s documentary, so the event could focus on questions and discussion with Eva, Ruth, and Juan.

You can view more about Eva’s documentary here: https://www.anunknowncountry-movie.com/