Not many American students would have wanted to endure the harsh conditions that prevailed on the Exodus, the ship that became a symbol of illegal immigration to Israel before the state was established.
And so, last Sunday, an updated, vacation-friendly version of the Exodus ship reached Haifa with 620 Jewish students on board. The voyage was a renewed project of the Jewish Agency to provide Zionist education and summer excitement for American and Canadian Jewish youth visiting Israel.
The original Exodus ship became a symbol of illegal immigration to Israel during the period after the Holocaust, prior to the end of British rule in May 1948. The boat carried 4515 Jewish immigrants, mostly Holocaust survivors, including 655 children, which set sail from France in July 1947.
When the 1947 boat reached Haifa, the British took the passengers to a detention camp and then sent them back to France, where the passengers refused to disembark. They were eventually brought to Germany where the immigrants were again forced into detention camps. The immigrants were finally allowed into Israel after Independence was declared in May 1948.
Amir Yarchi, a spokesman for the Agency explained that his boat ride’s itinerary is vastly different from the original voyage. The Agency’s boat first sails out to Cyprus. On the way back to Israel, the students learn about the original Exodus voyage from persons who were on the ship in 1947 and who risked their lives to illegally enter Israel in defiance of British immigration restrictions.
“When the boat docks in Haifa port,” said Yarchi, “we go through a simulation” of what would have happened in 1947. “A young girl gets off the boat and a person dressed as a British officer stops her and prevents the passengers from reaching shore. He tells the passengers that they will be brought to a detention camp.”
After Sunday’s voyage, the students were taken to a camp in the coastal town of Atlit. But instead of being forcibly detained, they were treated to a meeting with Education Minister Limor Livnat.
Yarchi says the Agency plans four or five such voyages each year. He described the journey as a very emotional experience for the students, especially as the boat approached the shores of Israel. He said the experience gives the students a feeling of making an effort to reach the land of Israel.
Yarchi said this year’s trip was very special because it was the first time the Agency ran the project since the outbreak of the Oslo war in the year 2000.
“As the security situation deteriorated, fewer and fewer students came here from the United States,” said Yarchi. “But that has turned around recently. We hope to restore the number of voyages to the level they were at in the past, and bring 30,000 students to Israel in 2005.” Last year the Agency hosted 23,000 Jewish youth from North America.
Yarchi should have no problem reaching his goals based on the success of last Sunday’s voyage. “They said it was an important experience for them, learning about Zionism in a way that simply could not be done in a classroom,” he said.
And so, last Sunday, an updated, vacation-friendly version of the Exodus ship reached Haifa with 620 Jewish students on board. The voyage was a renewed project of the Jewish Agency to provide Zionist education and summer excitement for American and Canadian Jewish youth visiting Israel.
The original Exodus ship became a symbol of illegal immigration to Israel during the period after the Holocaust, prior to the end of British rule in May 1948. The boat carried 4515 Jewish immigrants, mostly Holocaust survivors, including 655 children, which set sail from France in July 1947.
When the 1947 boat reached Haifa, the British took the passengers to a detention camp and then sent them back to France, where the passengers refused to disembark. They were eventually brought to Germany where the immigrants were again forced into detention camps. The immigrants were finally allowed into Israel after Independence was declared in May 1948.
Amir Yarchi, a spokesman for the Agency explained that his boat ride’s itinerary is vastly different from the original voyage. The Agency’s boat first sails out to Cyprus. On the way back to Israel, the students learn about the original Exodus voyage from persons who were on the ship in 1947 and who risked their lives to illegally enter Israel in defiance of British immigration restrictions.
“When the boat docks in Haifa port,” said Yarchi, “we go through a simulation” of what would have happened in 1947. “A young girl gets off the boat and a person dressed as a British officer stops her and prevents the passengers from reaching shore. He tells the passengers that they will be brought to a detention camp.”
After Sunday’s voyage, the students were taken to a camp in the coastal town of Atlit. But instead of being forcibly detained, they were treated to a meeting with Education Minister Limor Livnat.
Yarchi says the Agency plans four or five such voyages each year. He described the journey as a very emotional experience for the students, especially as the boat approached the shores of Israel. He said the experience gives the students a feeling of making an effort to reach the land of Israel.
Yarchi said this year’s trip was very special because it was the first time the Agency ran the project since the outbreak of the Oslo war in the year 2000.
“As the security situation deteriorated, fewer and fewer students came here from the United States,” said Yarchi. “But that has turned around recently. We hope to restore the number of voyages to the level they were at in the past, and bring 30,000 students to Israel in 2005.” Last year the Agency hosted 23,000 Jewish youth from North America.
Yarchi should have no problem reaching his goals based on the success of last Sunday’s voyage. “They said it was an important experience for them, learning about Zionism in a way that simply could not be done in a classroom,” he said.