The 7,000-ton Tappuz, second German vessel built for Israel in Germany under the reparations program, left here today on her maiden voyage to Haifa. The Tappuz–whose name means “citrus”–is a passenger-freighter, with special holds for citrus cargoes.
The captain of the newest Israel merchantman is Ezra Yoran, who commands a 36-man Israel crew. A seaman since the age of 14, he came to Palestine at the age of 20 and served on various ships, most of them British. For the past two and a half years he commanded a smaller vessel.
The vessel will pick up her first cargo here and at Bremen. It will consist of reparations goods–sheet plate, strip steel, steel cables and pipes, machinery, chemicals and other goods. Then she will proceed to Dover to pick up passengers.
Besides the Tappuz, the Germans have already built one ship like her and another is due to be built next year. The Germans will also provide a 4,000-ton cargo vessel and a 9,500-ton passenger vessel with a capacity of 320 passengers–all as part of the reparations program.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
