Remembering Forgotten Heroes: The Jewish Resistance and Exodus 1947 - by Dr. Tsilla Hershco

Veterans of the Jewish Resistance in France participated in the rescue of tens of thousands of Jews during WWII. They provided emissaries from the Land of Israel with vital infrastructure for clandestine Zionist activities in France, including money, manpower, forged documents, accommodation, and contacts among the French authorities. In July-August 1947, they were significantly involved in the dramatic story of the Exodus 1947, the ship full of Holocaust survivors turned back by the British. It is regrettable that their contribution to the creation of the State of Israel is almost entirely absent from the collective memory.

The Exodus after British takeover, July 1947,
photo by Frank Scherschel via Wikipedia

Dr. Tsilla Hershco..
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,252..
12 August '19..
Link: https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/jewish-resistance-exodus-1947/

July and August 2019 mark the 72nd anniversary of the Exodus 1947 ship (originally named the President Warfield), perhaps the most dramatic post-WWII attempt to breach the British naval blockade and bring Holocaust survivors to Mandatory Palestine.

The ship, with over 4,500 Jewish refugees on board, left the French port of Sète on July 11, 1947. It was intercepted by the British, and after a determined resistance its passengers were returned to Port-de-Bouc in France on three deportation ships. The refugees refused to leave the French coast, and stayed on the ships under difficult conditions in the heavy August heat. They were ultimately led by force by the British to Hamburg, Germany – the country that had just slaughtered six million of their brethren.

The affair, which shocked the world, received extensive media coverage and has been the subject of much research and subsequent creative endeavor, including novels and films. There is much to focus on: the Briha (clandestine escape from Europe to Mandatory Palestine) movement, the clandestine immigration (Aliya Bet) movement, the survivors themselves, the emissaries from the Land of Israel, and the crew of the ship. Much has also been written on the political circumstances surrounding the affair as well as its implications with regard to the struggle for the creation of the state of Israel.

All these efforts are entirely appropriate. It is regrettable, however – and historically unjustifiable – that the major involvement of the heroes of the French Jewish resistance is almost entirely absent from the numerous publications and commemoration ceremonies relating to the Exodus affair as well as to the broader struggle for the creation of Israel.