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    Aliyah Bet: Clandestine Jewish Immigration to Mandatory Palestine

    Aliyah Bet was the Hebrew name for clandestine Jewish immigration to Mandatory Palestine outside the immigration limits imposed by the British authorities. The movement existed before the Holocaust, but after 1945 it became one of the main routes used by survivors who wanted to leave Europe. British authorities described the movement as “illegal immigration”; that term reflects the law and language of the Mandate authorities rather than the self-description of the refugees.

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    After the Holocaust

    The destruction of Jewish communities, the search for surviving relatives, postwar antisemitism and limited legal immigration options left many survivors unwilling or unable to rebuild their lives where they had lived before the war. By 1948, well over 100,000 Jews had reached Mandatory Palestine through Aliyah Bet, including more than 70,000 Holocaust survivors.

    From Europe to Mediterranean ports

    Many survivors first moved through the Brihah network from eastern Europe into Allied occupation zones and displaced persons camps. Organizers then brought groups to ports in Italy, France, Yugoslavia and Greece. Ships were often overcrowded and poorly suited to carrying large numbers of passengers.

    British interception and the Cyprus camps

    British forces intercepted most of the postwar ships. Between August 1946 and May 1948, about 52,000 ma’apilim were detained in camps on Cyprus after being denied entry to Mandatory Palestine. Nearly all were Holocaust survivors. Conditions in the camps were difficult, although Jewish aid organizations provided food, medical assistance, education and other services.

    Exodus 1947

    The best-known ship was the Exodus 1947, which carried about 4,500 Jewish displaced persons from France. British forces intercepted the ship in July 1947. After a violent confrontation, the passengers were eventually returned to the British occupation zone in Germany. Images of Holocaust survivors being confined again on German soil drew international attention to the refugee crisis and British immigration policy.

    From Mandate restrictions to the State of Israel

    After the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948, restrictions on Jewish immigration were lifted. Detainees from Cyprus and survivors still living in European DP camps were among those who immigrated to the new state.

    Related topics

    Brihah
    Displaced Persons Camps
    Holocaust and Israel

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