Auction 48 Rare and Important Items
Dec 2, 2015 (Your local time)
Israel
 8 Ramban St, Jerusalem.
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LOT 109:

Diary Handwritten by one of the "Exodus" Illegal Immigrants

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Sold for: $2,600
Start price:
$ 1,500
Auction house commission: 23%
VAT: On commission only
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A diary handwritten by one of the "Exodus" ("Yetzi'at Europa 1947") illegal immigrants, [Germany? Ca. August-September 1947]. Yiddish.
As evident from the diary entries, the events were recorded in the diary soon after their occurrence, in one of the detention camps in north Germany, where "Exodus" illegal immigrants were gathered, or on board the "Runnymede Park" deportation ship, after the deportation from the Haifa port.
The diary documents the story of "Exodus" chronologically and from a personal point of view: the departure from the port of Sète in France, arrival in Haifa port, embarking with all of the other illegal immigrants, the deportation ship "Runnymede Park", sailing to Port-de-Bouc in France and the long stay there (while the would-be immigrants refused to disembark) and later, the trip from France to Germany (the diary ends when the ship crosses Gibraltar on its way to Germany).
The author recounts his experiences and feelings while on board the ships, using mainly the "plural form": "We reached Haifa on July 18th. While standing in the port we listened to the radio. They spoke to us in Hebrew and handed out leaflets in English and in Hebrew announcing that we would sail to Cyprus… who could have imagined then what would happen later!!! Unfortunately, we could see Haifa from far away. Tears were filling our eyes when we saw the land which we hoped to be in but where we could not set foot. We saw no civilians around us, only soldiers and more soldiers. With heads bent down, looking at the Holy Land, we embarked 'Runnymede Park'. I was one of the last passengers to embark, there was no place to sit, we were packed like fish in a barrel” (p.4).
The writer continues to tell about the decision to refuse disembarking in France and the decision to start a hunger strike, as well as the decision not to allow pregnant women and children disembark in Gibraltar; about the “Red Cross” physician who boarded the ship in France; “Mordechai” (probably Mordechai Roseman, leader of the immigrants on the ship) who addressed the illegal immigrants; about observing Shabbat on the ship (“The religious prayed and were joined by the non-religious, and afterwards continued with ‘Oneg Shabbath’ according to their custom”); about journalists coming on board in “Port-de-Bouc”; about the flag which the immigrants prepared and waved in front of the journalists in France – a flag of Britain with a swastika (“we prepared a British flag with a swastika from a blanket, red toothpaste and condensed milk. The journalists photographed us immediately and we were immediately victorious ‘in the face of the English’… we raised the flag continuously... The English looked, grinding their teeth”).
For additional information about the “Exodus” see previous item.
The diary is written in blue ink, in a notebook which starts with exercises in Hebrew (in pencil). [12] diary pages + [16] pages with exercises. Notebook: 11X17 cm. Fair-poor condition. Wear. Stains and tears.

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