Hebrew/English Round Cachet from the Ship Fede in La Spezia

Authors

Object ID

2019.2.256

Object Name

Envelope

Date

1946

Files

Content Warning

The Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection consists of images, documents, and artifacts related to the Holocaust. The collection contains materials that depict a number of topics that may be difficult for viewers to engage with, including: antisemitic descriptions, caricatures, and representation of Jewish people; Nazi imagery and ideology; descriptions and images of German ghettos; graphic images of the violence of the Holocaust; and the creation of the State of Israel. For more information, see our policy page.

Description

Envelope with four lines of writing near top, “REPATRIATION SHIP ‘DOV HOS’ ‘FEDE’ stamped in center in black ink.

Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

Since the British refused to allow Jewish refugees from displaced persons (DP) camps into Mandatory Palestine after the Holocaust in Europe, clandestine efforts were undertaken to smuggle them in. Known as the Aliyah Bet, Jews were transported from collection points to ports on the Mediterranean from which ships were readied to transport the refugees to Palestine. Most of these immigrant ships were unable to penetrate the British naval patrols, and passengers were forced to disembark in British-run detention centers on Cyprus, Mauritius, or Atlit.

One such vessel attempting to carry Jewish DPs to Palestine was the Fede. In the Spring of 1946, 1,014 refugees were transported to the port of La Spezia to sail to Palestine. The British learned in advance of the Fede’s intentions and set up a blockade. The passengers responded with a hunger strike and a threat to blow the Fede up. The British offered a second ship for half of the passengers on board Fede. Both ships were renamed after fallen Haganah leaders. The Fede became the Dov Hos; the Phoenicia became the Eliahu Golomb. The refugees refused to debark for three more weeks before the British relented, agreeing to allow all passengers to enter Palestine.

Dimensions

4 x 6"

Keywords

Fede, Aliyah Bet, La Spezia, Dov Hos, Phoenicia, Cyprus

Subcollection

Post

Recommended Citation

"Hebrew/English Round Cachet from the Ship Fede in La Spezia" (1946). Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection. 2019.2.256.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/bulmash/1583