The London Garden was inaugurated in May 1942, and dedicated to the City of London- as a token of identification of the inhabitants of Tel-Aviy with the British Nation, who suffered from severe intensive German bombing at the time of the “Blitz” during the Second World War. In 2003, Atarim Corp. initiated and developed a parking lot for 500 vehicles, and on its upper level a new garden, for the pleasure and enjoyment of the public.
Igor
3 years ago
The Ha’apala Memorial in London Garden During the British mandate (1920-1948), several immigration ships ran aground on this beach with hundreds and thousands of refugees from Europe on board. They sailed here despite a blockade imposed by British warships. Many ships were stopped and ordered back to the sea with their human cargoes. Others were seized by the British who deported the refugees to detention camps, far from Israel. Only a few ships made it past the British blockade and successfully smuggled their passengers into the country. After many failed attempts to disembark on Israel’s other beaches, several ships came to Tel Aviv. Here they were welcomed on the beach by crowds that took them into their homes before British patrols could arrest them On this site, above this beach, we have established the Memorial Garden to the Aliya Bet. The rad. “silhouettes” represent ships that run aground while the windows intheit hulls display the stories of their passengers and crews. To the left, when facing the city, is the “Memorial Wave” on which are inscribed the names of all the ships that participated in the Allya bet effort, their sailing dates. the mumber of their passengers, and their ultimate destination. The municipality of Tel Aviv, the donors Sir Ronald and Lady Sharon Harel-Cohen, and the public committee to commemorate the Aliya Bet effort wish you a pleasant visit.
Igor
3 years ago
4000 Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants), who were released from the detention camps in Cyprus, arrive in Haifa on “Kibbutz Galuyot (“‘Gathering of the diasporas/”)previously an illegal, immigrant ship. July 1948.
Igor
3 years ago
“Shurot HaMeginim” (The Defender’s Line”) at the end of 1947, the detainees in camps were trained by women of the Palmach. When the State of Israel was established, they came to participate in battles and fight for their country.
Igor
3 years ago
Henrietta Szold A wooden ship of about 100 tons, which brought about 550 illegal immigrants from Greece including 300 children, with many orphans of different age among them. The ship was captured near the shores of Eretz Yisrael by British ships. After a violent struggle with British sailors, the immigrants were transferred to deportation ships. At first, the Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) were deported to Cyprus. This was the beginning of the illegal immigrants’ deportation to detention camps in Cyprus, a process that lasted two and a half years. During that period, the British navy captured 39 ships with 52,000 illegal immigrants, who were deported to Cyprus against their will. The British expected that deportation and prolonged detention would discourage others from trying, but more ships with illegal immigrants continued to arrive. Detention camps in Atlit and Cyprus became full and the British authorities were forced to allow people in camps to make Aliyah (immigration).
Igor
3 years ago
Lieutenant Colonel Yossi Harel – “Exodus” ship commander (1918-2008) Yossi Harel was born in 1918 in Jerusalem. He joined the “Haganah” at the age of 14 and participated in courageous missions with “Plugot HaSadeh” (Field Companies) – an elite Jewish strike force established as the commando arm of the “Haganah”, led by Orde Wingate. In 1946, he joined “Palyam” and commanded four of the largest ships of Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants): “Knesset Israel”, “Exodus”, “Atzmaut” and “Komemiyut”. Those ships brought some 25,000 people to the Land of Israel. “Exodus”, of which Harel was the Commander and Ike Aharonovitz, the Captain, heroically fought five British destroyers, that tried to prevent the ship full of Holocaust survivors from reaching safe haven. The story of “Exodus” became a national myth in Israel and served as a dramatic narrative that influenced international public opinion, playing an important role in ending the British Mandate After the establishment of the State of Israel, Harel was one of the founders of the Israeli Navy and the IDF Military Intelligence division. In later years he held key positions in the Mossad. In his final years, Yossi Harel lived on Hayarkon street in Tel Aviv, close to his beloved Mediterranean Sea. He was also one of the initiators of “Gan Ha’apala”, this Memorial Site for the “Ha’apala” immigration movement.
Igor
3 years ago
Exodus 1947 – The ship that became a symbol In July 1947, “Exodus” secretly sailed from Sete in France, carrying 4,500 Holocaust survivors striving to reach the Land of Israel. British authorities, that controlled Eretz – Israel during that period, followed the ship. When “Exodus” approached the shores of Israel, five British destroyers surrounded and detained the ship. For many hours, Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) tried to prevent the British from going onboard. They threw every object they could find, trying to stop the soldiers. Deputy Captain Bill Bernstein and three immigrants were killed and 30 were injured at which point Yossi Harel “Exodus” s commander took the tough decision to avoid more casualties and to surrender. The ship was escorted to the port of Haifa. The Ma’apilim were dragged to British deportation ships against their will and sent back to France. As they reached France, the immigrants refused to disembark and the British authorities decided to send the deportation ships to the port of Hamburg in Germany, where the immigrants were taken off the ships by force and led to British army detention camps. The story of “Exodus”, and the fact that Holocaust survivors were brought back to Germany, was covered very widely in the media and caused the international community to support the establishment of the Jewish state in the Land of Israel. Four months later, the UN declared the establishment of the Jewish state. On September 7, 1948, the last of the “Exodus” immigrants finally reached Israel.
Igor
3 years ago
British destroyers surrounding “Yehuda Halevi”, a ship from Algiers carrying Jews from North Africa.
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3 years ago
Josiah Wedgwood’ immigrants in the port of Haifa. The ship was captured and the Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) were arrested and transferred to the detention camp in Atlit, 1946.
Igor
3 years ago
Hannah Senesh The ship reached the beach of Nahariya on the Christmas eve of 1945. The British patrols were busy celebrating. Once all the illegal immigrants had left the ship and dispersed throughout the communities in the surrounding area, the ship capsized. Palmach members left a sign, which read: ” … this ship on the beach of Nahariya is one of the tombstones for six million of our brothers and sisters. It is a symbol of shame for the British government.”
Igor
3 years ago
“Eliyahu Golomb” and “Dov Hoz” (The La Spezia affair) “Haganah” members who joined the British army to fight the Nazis had laid the foundation of the illegal immigration movement in Italy. In the winter of 1946, two ships of the Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) were waiting in the port of Le Spezia. The immigrants were transported to the ships by military trucks, camouflaged as if they were serving in the British army. The trucks were stopped near the port by Italian police that suspected they carried Nazis who were escaping from Italy. The Italians called the British military police that refused to allow the Ma’apilim to get on board. The head of the “Mossad” in Italy, Yehuda Arazi, introduced himself as the head of the illegal immigrants committee, declared a hunger strike and invited journalists. This way, he managed to expose to the whole world the Ha’apala movement and the struggle of illegal immigrants. Forced by international pressure, the British released the ships and gave the Ma’apilim approval to go on board. The ships were not confiscated by the British. They sailed to the port of Haifa, returned to Italy and sailed with illegal immigrants once again.
Igor
3 years ago
Ha’apala (Illegal Immigration to the Land of Israel) Towards the end of World War II, the surviving remnant of Jewish communities in Europe looked for ways to reach the Land of Israel. A glimmer of hope from the Jewish settlement in Palestine encouraged masses of refugees. The “Bricha” (“Escape”) movement, initiated by the leaders of the Zionist youth movement with the assistance of soldiers from Palestine serving in the British Army, led the immigration of tens of thousands of people . “The Mossad LeAliya Bet’ (“Institution for Immigration B”), headed by Shaul Avigur, led the immigration effort (Ha’ apala) and the escape (Bricha). Jewish organizations from the U.S. joined forces in order to help. The maritime Palmach unit, the Palyam ,was established in Palestine. The Palyam, Ha’apala and the “Mossad le Aliaya Bet” members commanded the ships at sea. “HaGid’onim”, the radio operators of the “Hagana”, both men and women, kept constant communication between the stations of the “Mossad” in Europe, the headquarters in Palestine and the ships at sea. Jewish soldiers from Eretz Israel who served in the British army, led by the members of “Hachavura” (“The Gang”), were the core of the Ha’apala in Italy. Over 200 youngsters from the United States and Canada volunteered to serve on the Ha’apala ships.
Igor
3 years ago
In 1945-1948 the British navy imposed a blockade on the coasts of the Land of Israel implemented by 45 battleships of various types. Despite the blockade, 66 Ha’apala ships made it to the shores of Eretz Israel, with more than 70,000 immigrants (Ma’apilim). Most of the ships were détained at sea by the British destroyers in a violent struggle between the immigrants and the sailors of the British navy. At first, the illegal immigrants were put in a detention camp in Atlit. When this camp was full, additional British camps were established in Cyprus. Immigrants’ deportation to those camps was supposed to cause despair among other immigrants, but the Ma’apilim ships continued to arrive. The British policy was defeated by the determination of the refugees to reach Eretz Israel, despite the hardships. The British government was forced to turn to the United Nations in order to solve the “Eretz Israel problem” of which the illegal immigration was a part. On November 29, 1947 the UN General Assembly decided to divide the Land of Israel and to establish two states for two peoples. On May 14, 1948 the State of Israel was established.
Igor
3 years ago
In the year 1917 the Jewish population in Palestine numbered 60,000. The British Foreign Minister, Lord Balfour declared: “His Majesty’s Government View with favour the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine”. Based on this declaration, the League Of Nations handed over the control of Eretz-Israel, Palestine, to the British Government (The Mandate). The British Government in Palestine renounced its commitment to the Jews and restricted the immigration (Aliyah) to Eretz-Israel. The immigration certificates issued by the British government never met the demand. With the rise of the Nazis in Europe, hundreds of thousands of Jews became refugees. Many countries refused their entry. The small Jewish community in Eretz-Israel, Palestine, remained their only hope. In May 1939 the British Government published “The White Paper”, stating that only 75,000 Jews will make “Aliyah” in the next five years and that the continuation of Aliyah will be contingent upon the approval of the Arabs. In the years 1939-1944 when World War II and the Holocaust raged on and swept all over Europe, the British Government continued to blockade the shores of Eretz-Israel. The natural reaction of the Jewish people and the surviving refugees was to fight these restrictions and to wage the illegal immigration. All the Jewish Zionist political movements in Eretz-Israel and the Diaspora joined together in the historic struggle of illegal immigration (Ha’ apala) spearheaded by The Hagana organization, and the Revisionist movement. During the years 1934-1948, over 120,000 Jews made it to the Eretz-Israel through various illegal routes, by sea, land and air. By their heroic efforts they forced open the gates of the country, leading to the establishment of the State of Israel.
Igor
3 years ago
The six waves before you list all the Aliya Bet ships that reached this country during three periods. First Period During the years 1930-1936, 20,000 immigrants, young Zionists, came to Eretz Israel by land and by sea, inspired by the popular song: “we have come to this country to build and to be built in it”. Second Period 1937 saw the beginning of the flight from Europe of individuals, families and entire communities. During this period, 74 ships with 34,000 immigrants came to Eretz Israel. Third Period At the of World War II, Holocaust survivors moved towards Europe’s shores at the initiative of the surviving Zionist Youth movements helped by volunteers sent from Eretz Israel and by Eretz Israeli soldiers in the British army. This was called the Bricha (the Escape). Between 1945 and 1948. 68 ships came to this country with more than 70,000 refugees on board. With the establishment of the state of Israel, its gates were open wide and millions of Jews came to Israel from all over the world.
Igor
3 years ago
Struma In 1941, the Romanian fascist organization “Iron Guard” led murderous anti-Jewish pogroms. The persecuted Jews made desperate attempts to flee to Eretz Israel, their last resort. At the end of the year, 769 Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) sailed from the port of Constanta in Romania and arrived in Istanbul on a sailing ship called “Struma”. The British authorities informed the Turkish government that the refugees would not be permitted to enter Palestine. After a period of over two months spent in the port, the ship was towed back into the Black Sea. An explosion occurred several hours afterwards. “Struma” was hit by a torpedo launched from a Soviet submarine that had failed to identify the ship correctly. Only one survivor was pulled from the water, as the ship sank into the sea.
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3 years ago
Photo: A postcard sent from “Mafkura” before sailing. Mafkura In August 1944, a convoy of three ships – “Bulbul”, “Morina” and “Mafkura”, sailed from the port of Constanta in Romania to Istanbul. The illegal immigrants were supposed to continue their journey to Eretz – Israel by train. An unidentified vessel, probably a Soviet submarine, appeared at night and opened fire at the Mafkura. The ship was hit and sank shortly after. 315 Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) drowned, five survived.
Igor
3 years ago
Detainees in Kladovo. None of them survived The Kladovo-Sabac Affair More than a thousand refugees from Germany and Austria, most of whom were former prisoners, released from concentration camps on condition of leaving the territory of the German Reich immediately, sailed in December of 1939 on barges from Vienna, through the Danube river towards the Black Sea, in order to reach the ship of illegal immigrants. They were stopped at the Romanian border and required to wait for the ship that was supposed to arrive, though it didn’t. The Danube river froze and prevented it from sailing further. Meanwhile, the Germans invaded Yugoslavia. Within a short time, all illegal immigrants – men, women and children were killed.
Igor
3 years ago
Salvador 325 refugees from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland gathered in Bulgaria. In December 1940, in order to avoid deportation to concentration camps, they sailed from the port of Varna in Bulgaria, using sailboats with no engines. The wind brought them to Istanbul and they were dragged by the Turks to the Sea of Marmara. As a result of a storm, the ship was carried away towards the rocks, split in half and sank. 202 illegal immigrants drowned, 123 survived.
Igor
3 years ago
Patria At the end of 1940, three ships carrying Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) sailed from Vienna on the Danube river: “Pacific”, “Milos” and “Atlantic”, with 3651 refugees that had been released from custody on condition that they immediately leave the territory of German Reich. They faced many obstacles, sailing on the Danube, Black Sea and the Mediterranean. “Pacific” and “Milos” managed to reach Haifa, carrying 1771 immigrants. The British government transferred them to the”Patria”, which was docked in Haifa, in order to deport them to the isle of Mauritius. The “Patria” was sabotaged by “Haganah” members in order to prevent the deportation. The quantity of explosives was too great and the ship sank in the harbour. About 270 illegal immigrants drowned. Those who survived were allowed to stay. The third ship arrived a few days later, carrying 1880 illegal immigrants. The British authorities didn’t give up. Those immigrants were deported to Mauritius and stayed there for five years. They were permitted to return to Eretz Israel in 1945, leaving buried in a cemetery in Mauritius about 130 of their group.
Igor
3 years ago
Ha’apala (illegal immigration) before and during World War II Illegal immigration by way of the sea, initiated by several individuals, began when the British administration started operating in Palestine. In 1934, “HeHalutz” and “Beitar” Zionist youth movements had initiated an organized illegal immigration, when they arranged the sailing of two ships of Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) that managed to come to the Land of Israel. A few years later, “The Immigration Center” of the Revisionist Movement and “The Mossad LeAliya Bet” (“The Institution for Immigration B”) of the Haganah were established. Before and during World War Il, about 37,500 immigrants sailed to the Land of Israel on 69 ships. European immigration took place in a hostile world. The countries, which the Jews tried to leave or escape from, were controlled by the Nazis and their accomplices. In addition, the British administration imposed a blockade on the coasts of Palestine. The persecuted Jews were encouraged by the illegal immigration movement in those gloomy days, their leaders and communities united and caused the Jewish organizations in America to take action. Ha’apala emphasized their common destiny and the importance of their cause. “In those days of desertion, bearing the flag of the Jewish tragedy, the gates of Eretz Israel should not be closed… The Jewish refugee will lead the battle and all of us must join his army… Whether you like it or not, whether you help or resist, the troubles of Israel will send the ships to sail the sea. I believe that soon the songs will be sung and prayers may be written for the safety of our seafarers.”
Igor
3 years ago
“Atarto” – the ship which sailed 7 times from Europe to the Land of Israel between 1938 and 1939, bringing 2458 immigrants in total.
Igor
3 years ago
Pancho In 1940, about 550 concentration camp survivors sailed the Danube on a riverboat for three months without proper equipment or food supply. When they reached the Black Sea, there was no ship waiting for them, so they continued their journey on the riverboat. The waves and winds of the Mediterranean caused the boat to crash into a cliff and sink near an uninhabited island. The passengers managed to escape and to take the remaining water and food from the boat to the island. After ten days on the island they were discovered by an Italian airplane and an Italian battleship transferred them to a prison camp in Rhodes. Afterwards they were transferred to a prison camp in southern Italy. During that period, Italy was a part of the Axis powers. The Italians refused to give the refugees away to the Nazis, despite their demands. In 1943, The Allies of World War Il invaded Italy and freed the immigrants. They were permitted to come to the Land of Israel by the British authorities. The whole journey lasted four years and a week.
Igor
3 years ago
1940 Below the desk
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3 years ago
In 1939, sortly before the start of World War II, the “Parita” reached the beach of Tel Aviv carrying 850 illegal immigrants from Poland, Lithuania and Romania. The residents of Tel Ayiy were surprised, but did not hesitate to take the immigrants to their homes
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3 years ago
Tiger Hill In 1939, a train with about 750 Polish pioneers was detained by the Romanian authorities under British pressure. The passengers were on their way to the ship that was waiting for them in the port of Constanta. An emotional appeal convinced the king of Romania to release the train and the passengers and bring them to the “Tiger Hill”. The ship sailed to the Land of Israel in August of 1939. Near the shores of Eretz Israel, the crew of the “Tiger Hill” was ordered to pick up about 650 illegal immigrants from another ship, called “Frossoula”, because its crew refused to get any closer to the shore. “Tiger Hill” was overloaded with passengers, after picking up the people from “Frossoula” and tried to land on the open beach when a British patrol boat opened fire and killed three passengers. The ship was ordered to land on the beach of Tel Aviv in front of many people. Most of the immigrants were arrested by the British police.
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3 years ago
Immigration by land and by air In addition to the illegal immigration by sez, there was also an immigration to the Free is by land. During the 1940s, the members of the “Chulive” unit of the Palmach led groups afile gal immigrants from Syria and Lebanon to the northern border and smuggied them imo Israel Iraqi immigrants came at night by airplanes and were transferred to nearby communities Thousands of illegal immigrants came by land and by and air
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3 years ago
Photo: Atlit Detention camps
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3 years ago
The entire park sits on top of a parking garage convenient, conveniently placed in the middle of the very busy area.
Experts of Tel Aviv can date old photos by the features that are missing, one of which was tiger hill street. It was noteworthy because the cars were parked on the descent and always created a traffic jam on the way to the sea. To park here you must have had agility and ability to start in reverse going up the hill, which is not an easy feat in a car with no automatic transmission. This photo of Tiger Hill Street, which shows the Peace Tower but none of the piers or wave breakers that exist today, is estimated to be in the second half of the sixties. According to local Coby Shalev, below the street there was a shed which in the 1980s housed a watermelon restaurant that sold a piece of watermelon with Bulgarian cheese. They were overpriced, but apparently worth it, considering the place was almost always full on the summer days.
This Photograph from the collection of Eric and Edith Matson is from Tel Aviv in 1946. In this photo you can see a coffee stand in the shed, which was next to a grocer who sold wet almonds.. You may notice that the cars also drove in the opposite direction than they do today. You may also notice that the beach is much smaller than it is today. This is because the wave-breakers lengthened the sand strip by eliminating the typical erosion that would normally occur.
The London Garden was inaugurated in May 1942, and dedicated to the City of London- as a token of identification of the inhabitants of Tel-Aviy with the British Nation, who suffered from severe intensive German bombing at the time of the “Blitz” during the Second World War. In 2003, Atarim Corp. initiated and developed a parking lot for 500 vehicles, and on its upper level a new garden, for the pleasure and enjoyment of the public.
The Ha’apala Memorial in London Garden During the British mandate (1920-1948), several immigration ships ran aground on this beach with hundreds and thousands of refugees from Europe on board. They sailed here despite a blockade imposed by British warships. Many ships were stopped and ordered back to the sea with their human cargoes. Others were seized by the British who deported the refugees to detention camps, far from Israel. Only a few ships made it past the British blockade and successfully smuggled their passengers into the country. After many failed attempts to disembark on Israel’s other beaches, several ships came to Tel Aviv. Here they were welcomed on the beach by crowds that took them into their homes before British patrols could arrest them On this site, above this beach, we have established the Memorial Garden to the Aliya Bet. The rad. “silhouettes” represent ships that run aground while the windows intheit hulls display the stories of their passengers and crews. To the left, when facing the city, is the “Memorial Wave” on which are inscribed the names of all the ships that participated in the Allya bet effort, their sailing dates. the mumber of their passengers, and their ultimate destination. The municipality of Tel Aviv, the donors Sir Ronald and Lady Sharon Harel-Cohen, and the public committee to commemorate the Aliya Bet effort wish you a pleasant visit.
4000 Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants), who were released from the detention camps in Cyprus, arrive in Haifa on “Kibbutz Galuyot (“‘Gathering of the diasporas/”)previously an illegal, immigrant ship. July 1948.
“Shurot HaMeginim” (The Defender’s Line”) at the end of 1947, the detainees in camps were trained by women of the Palmach. When the State of Israel was established, they came to participate in battles and fight for their country.
Henrietta Szold A wooden ship of about 100 tons, which brought about 550 illegal immigrants from Greece including 300 children, with many orphans of different age among them. The ship was captured near the shores of Eretz Yisrael by British ships. After a violent struggle with British sailors, the immigrants were transferred to deportation ships. At first, the Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) were deported to Cyprus. This was the beginning of the illegal immigrants’ deportation to detention camps in Cyprus, a process that lasted two and a half years. During that period, the British navy captured 39 ships with 52,000 illegal immigrants, who were deported to Cyprus against their will. The British expected that deportation and prolonged detention would discourage others from trying, but more ships with illegal immigrants continued to arrive. Detention camps in Atlit and Cyprus became full and the British authorities were forced to allow people in camps to make Aliyah (immigration).
Lieutenant Colonel Yossi Harel – “Exodus” ship commander (1918-2008) Yossi Harel was born in 1918 in Jerusalem. He joined the “Haganah” at the age of 14 and participated in courageous missions with “Plugot HaSadeh” (Field Companies) – an elite Jewish strike force established as the commando arm of the “Haganah”, led by Orde Wingate. In 1946, he joined “Palyam” and commanded four of the largest ships of Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants): “Knesset Israel”, “Exodus”, “Atzmaut” and “Komemiyut”. Those ships brought some 25,000 people to the Land of Israel. “Exodus”, of which Harel was the Commander and Ike Aharonovitz, the Captain, heroically fought five British destroyers, that tried to prevent the ship full of Holocaust survivors from reaching safe haven. The story of “Exodus” became a national myth in Israel and served as a dramatic narrative that influenced international public opinion, playing an important role in ending the British Mandate After the establishment of the State of Israel, Harel was one of the founders of the Israeli Navy and the IDF Military Intelligence division. In later years he held key positions in the Mossad. In his final years, Yossi Harel lived on Hayarkon street in Tel Aviv, close to his beloved Mediterranean Sea. He was also one of the initiators of “Gan Ha’apala”, this Memorial Site for the “Ha’apala” immigration movement.
Exodus 1947 – The ship that became a symbol In July 1947, “Exodus” secretly sailed from Sete in France, carrying 4,500 Holocaust survivors striving to reach the Land of Israel. British authorities, that controlled Eretz – Israel during that period, followed the ship. When “Exodus” approached the shores of Israel, five British destroyers surrounded and detained the ship. For many hours, Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) tried to prevent the British from going onboard. They threw every object they could find, trying to stop the soldiers. Deputy Captain Bill Bernstein and three immigrants were killed and 30 were injured at which point Yossi Harel “Exodus” s commander took the tough decision to avoid more casualties and to surrender. The ship was escorted to the port of Haifa. The Ma’apilim were dragged to British deportation ships against their will and sent back to France. As they reached France, the immigrants refused to disembark and the British authorities decided to send the deportation ships to the port of Hamburg in Germany, where the immigrants were taken off the ships by force and led to British army detention camps. The story of “Exodus”, and the fact that Holocaust survivors were brought back to Germany, was covered very widely in the media and caused the international community to support the establishment of the Jewish state in the Land of Israel. Four months later, the UN declared the establishment of the Jewish state. On September 7, 1948, the last of the “Exodus” immigrants finally reached Israel.
British destroyers surrounding “Yehuda Halevi”, a ship from Algiers carrying Jews from North Africa.
Josiah Wedgwood’ immigrants in the port of Haifa. The ship was captured and the Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) were arrested and transferred to the detention camp in Atlit, 1946.
Hannah Senesh The ship reached the beach of Nahariya on the Christmas eve of 1945. The British patrols were busy celebrating. Once all the illegal immigrants had left the ship and dispersed throughout the communities in the surrounding area, the ship capsized. Palmach members left a sign, which read: ” … this ship on the beach of Nahariya is one of the tombstones for six million of our brothers and sisters. It is a symbol of shame for the British government.”
“Eliyahu Golomb” and “Dov Hoz” (The La Spezia affair) “Haganah” members who joined the British army to fight the Nazis had laid the foundation of the illegal immigration movement in Italy. In the winter of 1946, two ships of the Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) were waiting in the port of Le Spezia. The immigrants were transported to the ships by military trucks, camouflaged as if they were serving in the British army. The trucks were stopped near the port by Italian police that suspected they carried Nazis who were escaping from Italy. The Italians called the British military police that refused to allow the Ma’apilim to get on board. The head of the “Mossad” in Italy, Yehuda Arazi, introduced himself as the head of the illegal immigrants committee, declared a hunger strike and invited journalists. This way, he managed to expose to the whole world the Ha’apala movement and the struggle of illegal immigrants. Forced by international pressure, the British released the ships and gave the Ma’apilim approval to go on board. The ships were not confiscated by the British. They sailed to the port of Haifa, returned to Italy and sailed with illegal immigrants once again.
Ha’apala (Illegal Immigration to the Land of Israel) Towards the end of World War II, the surviving remnant of Jewish communities in Europe looked for ways to reach the Land of Israel. A glimmer of hope from the Jewish settlement in Palestine encouraged masses of refugees. The “Bricha” (“Escape”) movement, initiated by the leaders of the Zionist youth movement with the assistance of soldiers from Palestine serving in the British Army, led the immigration of tens of thousands of people . “The Mossad LeAliya Bet’ (“Institution for Immigration B”), headed by Shaul Avigur, led the immigration effort (Ha’ apala) and the escape (Bricha). Jewish organizations from the U.S. joined forces in order to help. The maritime Palmach unit, the Palyam ,was established in Palestine. The Palyam, Ha’apala and the “Mossad le Aliaya Bet” members commanded the ships at sea. “HaGid’onim”, the radio operators of the “Hagana”, both men and women, kept constant communication between the stations of the “Mossad” in Europe, the headquarters in Palestine and the ships at sea. Jewish soldiers from Eretz Israel who served in the British army, led by the members of “Hachavura” (“The Gang”), were the core of the Ha’apala in Italy. Over 200 youngsters from the United States and Canada volunteered to serve on the Ha’apala ships.
In 1945-1948 the British navy imposed a blockade on the coasts of the Land of Israel implemented by 45 battleships of various types. Despite the blockade, 66 Ha’apala ships made it to the shores of Eretz Israel, with more than 70,000 immigrants (Ma’apilim). Most of the ships were détained at sea by the British destroyers in a violent struggle between the immigrants and the sailors of the British navy. At first, the illegal immigrants were put in a detention camp in Atlit. When this camp was full, additional British camps were established in Cyprus. Immigrants’ deportation to those camps was supposed to cause despair among other immigrants, but the Ma’apilim ships continued to arrive. The British policy was defeated by the determination of the refugees to reach Eretz Israel, despite the hardships. The British government was forced to turn to the United Nations in order to solve the “Eretz Israel problem” of which the illegal immigration was a part. On November 29, 1947 the UN General Assembly decided to divide the Land of Israel and to establish two states for two peoples. On May 14, 1948 the State of Israel was established.
In the year 1917 the Jewish population in Palestine numbered 60,000. The British Foreign Minister, Lord Balfour declared: “His Majesty’s Government View with favour the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine”. Based on this declaration, the League Of Nations handed over the control of Eretz-Israel, Palestine, to the British Government (The Mandate). The British Government in Palestine renounced its commitment to the Jews and restricted the immigration (Aliyah) to Eretz-Israel. The immigration certificates issued by the British government never met the demand. With the rise of the Nazis in Europe, hundreds of thousands of Jews became refugees. Many countries refused their entry. The small Jewish community in Eretz-Israel, Palestine, remained their only hope. In May 1939 the British Government published “The White Paper”, stating that only 75,000 Jews will make “Aliyah” in the next five years and that the continuation of Aliyah will be contingent upon the approval of the Arabs. In the years 1939-1944 when World War II and the Holocaust raged on and swept all over Europe, the British Government continued to blockade the shores of Eretz-Israel. The natural reaction of the Jewish people and the surviving refugees was to fight these restrictions and to wage the illegal immigration. All the Jewish Zionist political movements in Eretz-Israel and the Diaspora joined together in the historic struggle of illegal immigration (Ha’ apala) spearheaded by The Hagana organization, and the Revisionist movement. During the years 1934-1948, over 120,000 Jews made it to the Eretz-Israel through various illegal routes, by sea, land and air. By their heroic efforts they forced open the gates of the country, leading to the establishment of the State of Israel.
The six waves before you list all the Aliya Bet ships that reached this country during three periods. First Period During the years 1930-1936, 20,000 immigrants, young Zionists, came to Eretz Israel by land and by sea, inspired by the popular song: “we have come to this country to build and to be built in it”. Second Period 1937 saw the beginning of the flight from Europe of individuals, families and entire communities. During this period, 74 ships with 34,000 immigrants came to Eretz Israel. Third Period At the of World War II, Holocaust survivors moved towards Europe’s shores at the initiative of the surviving Zionist Youth movements helped by volunteers sent from Eretz Israel and by Eretz Israeli soldiers in the British army. This was called the Bricha (the Escape). Between 1945 and 1948. 68 ships came to this country with more than 70,000 refugees on board. With the establishment of the state of Israel, its gates were open wide and millions of Jews came to Israel from all over the world.
Struma In 1941, the Romanian fascist organization “Iron Guard” led murderous anti-Jewish pogroms. The persecuted Jews made desperate attempts to flee to Eretz Israel, their last resort. At the end of the year, 769 Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) sailed from the port of Constanta in Romania and arrived in Istanbul on a sailing ship called “Struma”. The British authorities informed the Turkish government that the refugees would not be permitted to enter Palestine. After a period of over two months spent in the port, the ship was towed back into the Black Sea. An explosion occurred several hours afterwards. “Struma” was hit by a torpedo launched from a Soviet submarine that had failed to identify the ship correctly. Only one survivor was pulled from the water, as the ship sank into the sea.
Photo: A postcard sent from “Mafkura” before sailing. Mafkura In August 1944, a convoy of three ships – “Bulbul”, “Morina” and “Mafkura”, sailed from the port of Constanta in Romania to Istanbul. The illegal immigrants were supposed to continue their journey to Eretz – Israel by train. An unidentified vessel, probably a Soviet submarine, appeared at night and opened fire at the Mafkura. The ship was hit and sank shortly after. 315 Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) drowned, five survived.
Detainees in Kladovo. None of them survived The Kladovo-Sabac Affair More than a thousand refugees from Germany and Austria, most of whom were former prisoners, released from concentration camps on condition of leaving the territory of the German Reich immediately, sailed in December of 1939 on barges from Vienna, through the Danube river towards the Black Sea, in order to reach the ship of illegal immigrants. They were stopped at the Romanian border and required to wait for the ship that was supposed to arrive, though it didn’t. The Danube river froze and prevented it from sailing further. Meanwhile, the Germans invaded Yugoslavia. Within a short time, all illegal immigrants – men, women and children were killed.
Salvador 325 refugees from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland gathered in Bulgaria. In December 1940, in order to avoid deportation to concentration camps, they sailed from the port of Varna in Bulgaria, using sailboats with no engines. The wind brought them to Istanbul and they were dragged by the Turks to the Sea of Marmara. As a result of a storm, the ship was carried away towards the rocks, split in half and sank. 202 illegal immigrants drowned, 123 survived.
Patria At the end of 1940, three ships carrying Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) sailed from Vienna on the Danube river: “Pacific”, “Milos” and “Atlantic”, with 3651 refugees that had been released from custody on condition that they immediately leave the territory of German Reich. They faced many obstacles, sailing on the Danube, Black Sea and the Mediterranean. “Pacific” and “Milos” managed to reach Haifa, carrying 1771 immigrants. The British government transferred them to the”Patria”, which was docked in Haifa, in order to deport them to the isle of Mauritius. The “Patria” was sabotaged by “Haganah” members in order to prevent the deportation. The quantity of explosives was too great and the ship sank in the harbour. About 270 illegal immigrants drowned. Those who survived were allowed to stay. The third ship arrived a few days later, carrying 1880 illegal immigrants. The British authorities didn’t give up. Those immigrants were deported to Mauritius and stayed there for five years. They were permitted to return to Eretz Israel in 1945, leaving buried in a cemetery in Mauritius about 130 of their group.
Ha’apala (illegal immigration) before and during World War II Illegal immigration by way of the sea, initiated by several individuals, began when the British administration started operating in Palestine. In 1934, “HeHalutz” and “Beitar” Zionist youth movements had initiated an organized illegal immigration, when they arranged the sailing of two ships of Ma’apilim (illegal immigrants) that managed to come to the Land of Israel. A few years later, “The Immigration Center” of the Revisionist Movement and “The Mossad LeAliya Bet” (“The Institution for Immigration B”) of the Haganah were established. Before and during World War Il, about 37,500 immigrants sailed to the Land of Israel on 69 ships. European immigration took place in a hostile world. The countries, which the Jews tried to leave or escape from, were controlled by the Nazis and their accomplices. In addition, the British administration imposed a blockade on the coasts of Palestine. The persecuted Jews were encouraged by the illegal immigration movement in those gloomy days, their leaders and communities united and caused the Jewish organizations in America to take action. Ha’apala emphasized their common destiny and the importance of their cause. “In those days of desertion, bearing the flag of the Jewish tragedy, the gates of Eretz Israel should not be closed… The Jewish refugee will lead the battle and all of us must join his army… Whether you like it or not, whether you help or resist, the troubles of Israel will send the ships to sail the sea. I believe that soon the songs will be sung and prayers may be written for the safety of our seafarers.”
“Atarto” – the ship which sailed 7 times from Europe to the Land of Israel between 1938 and 1939, bringing 2458 immigrants in total.
Pancho In 1940, about 550 concentration camp survivors sailed the Danube on a riverboat for three months without proper equipment or food supply. When they reached the Black Sea, there was no ship waiting for them, so they continued their journey on the riverboat. The waves and winds of the Mediterranean caused the boat to crash into a cliff and sink near an uninhabited island. The passengers managed to escape and to take the remaining water and food from the boat to the island. After ten days on the island they were discovered by an Italian airplane and an Italian battleship transferred them to a prison camp in Rhodes. Afterwards they were transferred to a prison camp in southern Italy. During that period, Italy was a part of the Axis powers. The Italians refused to give the refugees away to the Nazis, despite their demands. In 1943, The Allies of World War Il invaded Italy and freed the immigrants. They were permitted to come to the Land of Israel by the British authorities. The whole journey lasted four years and a week.
1940 Below the desk
In 1939, sortly before the start of World War II, the “Parita” reached the beach of Tel Aviv carrying 850 illegal immigrants from Poland, Lithuania and Romania. The residents of Tel Ayiy were surprised, but did not hesitate to take the immigrants to their homes
Tiger Hill In 1939, a train with about 750 Polish pioneers was detained by the Romanian authorities under British pressure. The passengers were on their way to the ship that was waiting for them in the port of Constanta. An emotional appeal convinced the king of Romania to release the train and the passengers and bring them to the “Tiger Hill”. The ship sailed to the Land of Israel in August of 1939. Near the shores of Eretz Israel, the crew of the “Tiger Hill” was ordered to pick up about 650 illegal immigrants from another ship, called “Frossoula”, because its crew refused to get any closer to the shore. “Tiger Hill” was overloaded with passengers, after picking up the people from “Frossoula” and tried to land on the open beach when a British patrol boat opened fire and killed three passengers. The ship was ordered to land on the beach of Tel Aviv in front of many people. Most of the immigrants were arrested by the British police.
Immigration by land and by air In addition to the illegal immigration by sez, there was also an immigration to the Free is by land. During the 1940s, the members of the “Chulive” unit of the Palmach led groups afile gal immigrants from Syria and Lebanon to the northern border and smuggied them imo Israel Iraqi immigrants came at night by airplanes and were transferred to nearby communities Thousands of illegal immigrants came by land and by and air
Photo: Atlit Detention camps
The entire park sits on top of a parking garage convenient, conveniently placed in the middle of the very busy area.
London Garden is built on the site of London Square. https://travel.sygic.com/en/poi/london-garden-poi:5207206
The bumpy road which was called ‘Tiger Hill’ Street – is now integrated into the garden. photography from the 1930s here:
Experts of Tel Aviv can date old photos by the features that are missing, one of which was tiger hill street. It was noteworthy because the cars were parked on the descent and always created a traffic jam on the way to the sea. To park here you must have had agility and ability to start in reverse going up the hill, which is not an easy feat in a car with no automatic transmission. This photo of Tiger Hill Street, which shows the Peace Tower but none of the piers or wave breakers that exist today, is estimated to be in the second half of the sixties. According to local Coby Shalev, below the street there was a shed which in the 1980s housed a watermelon restaurant that sold a piece of watermelon with Bulgarian cheese. They were overpriced, but apparently worth it, considering the place was almost always full on the summer days.
This Photograph from the collection of Eric and Edith Matson is from Tel Aviv in 1946. In this photo you can see a coffee stand in the shed, which was next to a grocer who sold wet almonds.. You may notice that the cars also drove in the opposite direction than they do today. You may also notice that the beach is much smaller than it is today. This is because the wave-breakers lengthened the sand strip by eliminating the typical erosion that would normally occur.
And one more photo from another direction.