Object ID
2019.2.256
Object Name
Envelope
Date
1946
Files
Download Full Text (438 KB)
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 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 collections 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 disembarked in British run detention centers on Cyprus, Mauritius, or Atlit.
One such vessel attempting to carry Jewish DP’s 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
Rights Statement
