Information AboutHa'apala |
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Ha'apala ( period. During Ha'apala, several Jewish organizations worked together to facilitate immigration beyond the established quotas. As persecution of Jews intensified in Europe during the Nazi era, the urgency driving the immigration also became more acute. Those who participated in the immigration efforts consistently refused to term it " Illegal ," instead calling it "clandestine." Ha'apala occurred in two phases: First from 1934 to 1942 , in an effort to rescue European Jews from the Holocaust ; and then from 1945 to 1948 to find homes for displaced Jewish survivors ( Sh'erit Ha-Pletah ) who were languishing in DP Camps . During the first phase several organizations (including Revionists ) led the effort; after World War II, the Mossad Le'aliyah Bet ("the Institute for Aliyah B"), an arm of the Haganah , commissioned the ships. Post and Leipheim . From there, the refugees, including men, women, and children, would find their way by concealed trucks, foot, train, and other means to Mediterranean ports, where ships would seek to bring them to Palestine. American sector camps imposed no restrictions on the movements out of the camps, and American, French, and Italian officials would often turn a blind eye to the movements. Several UNRRA officials (in particular Elizabeth Robertson in Leipheim) would act as facilitators of the emigration. The British vehemently opposed the movement, placing restrictions on movements in and out of their camps and imposing an armed Naval Blockade to prevent immigrants from landing in Palestine. Over 100,000 people attempted to illegally enter the mandate in the course of 142 sailings and 120 ships. Over half were stopped by the blockade and sent to internment camps on Cyprus ( Famagusta , Nicosia , Carolos , and Xylotumbou ), Palestine ( Atlit Detainee Camp ), and Mauritius . The British held as many as 50,000 prisoners in these camps. Over 1600 drowned at sea and a few thousand managed to enter the British Mandate of Palestine. The pivotal event in the Ha'apala program was the incident of the Exodus 1947 , when British methods for stopping immigration got the public eye. The ship was intercepted, attacked, and boarded by British navy forces. It was diverted back to Europe, and after significant resistance from its passengers, the refugees were once again in Germany. Four major disasters happened: The was torpedod by the Russians in February 1942 and 770 were lost. The ''Mafkura'' was torpedoed by the Germans August 1944, and 400 were lost. The success rate of the Aliya Beth programme was modest when measured in terms of those who succeeded in enterting Palestine; but it proved to be a unifying force both for the Jewish community in Palestine (the Yishuv ) and for the Jewish refugees in Europe ( Sh'erit Ha-Pletah ). EXTERNAL REFERENCES |