Exodus
The Ship that launched a Nation.
Despite the promises made in the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the British prevented Jewish immigration to Palestine through a naval blockade.
On July 18, 1947, the unarmed Exodus, carrying 4,515 Holocaust survivors, tried to breach the British blockade. In international waters, two British destroyers rammed the ship, threatening to sink the Exodus. British Marines boarded, killed three, including an American Machal crewman, Bill Bernstein; 147 refugees were injured. The Jews resisted bravely.
Captured, the Exodus was taken to the Port of Haifa where the traumatized refugees were transferred to British prison ships and forcibly returned to camps in Germany. World news captured the tragic events in Haifa, garnering international sympathy to the Jewish plight.
In Jerusalem, the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine deliberated the Palestine question. They declined to consider Holocaust refugee testimony. An eyewitness aboard the Exodus was American Methodist Minister Reverend John Stanley Grauel. The Haganah smuggled Grauel to Jerusalem
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Four months later, November 29, 1947, the United Nations voted to end British control of Palestine setting the stage for the rebirth of a Jewish State alongside an Arab State. American journalist Ruth Gruber named the Exodus, "The Ship that Launched a Nation.”
In August 1952, the Exodus was scuttled near the Haifa harbor after a disastrous fire. She lies there to this day.
Erected 2017 by Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, Port of Haifa, World Machal, Haganah, American Veterans of Israel Legacy Corp, Exodus 1947-2017.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Events • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation., and the The Holocaust series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is July 18, 1947.
Location. 32° 48.81′ N, 35° 1.347′ E. Marker is in Haifa, Haifa District. Located within the Port of Haifa, outside the International Arrivals Terminal. Touch for map. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 19 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Raoul Wallenberg's Residence (approx. 2.2 kilometers away); The German Colony Story
Regarding Exodus. The Exodus project was funded by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation. The Exodus was an American Holocaust Rescue ship, American funded, largely American crewed out of Baltimore. The Exodus is recognized as the iconic story of the birth and creation of Israel. The Book Exodus, by Leon Uris, the movie Exodus, by Otto Preminger, and song Exodus by Gold and the lyrics by American pop star Pat Boone have propelled the Exodus and the struggle by the survivors of the Holocaust into mass popular awareness.
Also see . . .
1. Exodus 1947: 70 Years Later (Curators Corner #46) (YouTube, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, 5 min.). "In this episode of Curators Corner, Judy Cohen and Teresa Pollin talk about Exodus 1947, which sailed for Palestine from France in July 1947. Photographs from the Museum's collection illustrate the experiences of the passengers and crew as they sailed for Palestine, when they were attacked by the British in Palestine's territorial waters, and when they were forcibly returned to Europe." (Submitted on May 31, 2019.)
2. Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary events surrounding the SS Exo. (Submitted on June 1, 2019, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida.)
3. In Search of the Exodus. (Submitted on June 1, 2019, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida.)
4. Pat Boone and the Exodus Memorial. (Submitted on June 1, 2019, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2019. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2019, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 218 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 31, 2019, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
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