The little Greek steamer Assimi, its captain jailed for attempting to smuggle immigrants into Palestine, put out to sea today with an over-capacity load of 400 Jewish refugees who were refused permission by the British authorities to land at Haifa.
In a moving last-minute appeal to be allowed to land, the refugees had charged that the 350-ton vessel had no life boats and was inadequately supplied with life belts and food and water.
Issued through the newspapers, the appeal by the refugees said: “We, fugitives from Nazi persecution and from German concentration camps, appeal to the civilized world and the British Government to save us. Following weeks and months on the high seas aboard a frail vessel, we were halted at the shores of Palestine, our only hope after all countries had refused help, and kept ten days under appalling sanitary conditions, the sick urgently needing treatment. Suffering terribly, we are unable to stand the torture longer. Now there are rumors of an intention to drive us to the open seas without life boats and with insufficient life belts and food and water. Where shall we go and why must we suffer this slow, cruel death?”
The Assimi was captured by a Coast Guard patrol on April 11 while trying to land 240 refugees. On Monday another Greek vessel arrived with 160 refugees, who were transferred by the authorities to the Assimi. Captain Pagolitis of the Assimi was sentenced by the Haifa District Court yesterday to nine months! imprisonment and a fine of $500.
The Hebrew newspaper Davar reported today that Jewish school children who staged demonstrations in Jerusalem, calling upon the authorities to admit the Assimi refugees, were dispersed by the police who made two arrests.
All branches of the League for the Rights of Man cabled the National Council of Civil Liberties in London asking help for the Assimi passengers and proposing establishment of a refugee camp in Palestine. “Returning them to sea,” the cables said, “means a death sentence.”
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