The release from the Athlit internment camp of the last group of Jewish refugees from the steamer Patria was announced here today by Zionist quarters, marking the end of a tragic saga which began fourteen months ago when the Palestine administration loaded 1,800 refugees on the Patria for deportation to a British colony, rather than permitting them to settle in Palestine.
The group whose release was reported today has been in the Athlit camp since Nov. 25, 1940, when the Patria exploded in the Haifa harbor shortly before its scheduled sailing. The explosion which resulted in many deaths, led to the cancellation of the British deportation order and the internment of the survivors in the Athlit camp.
The majority of the Athlit internees have now been placed in agricultural settlements, Zionist circles today stated. About 100 have joined the Czech and British forces in the Middle East. Only about 400 will settle in the cities.
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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.
