A British naval prize court today ordered the confiscation of six vessels intercepted during the past year attempting to run the air-sea-land blockade of Palestine with visaless Jewish refugees aboard.
The craft, which have been rusting at anchor in Haifa harbor awaiting judicial action, brought nearly 6,000 Jews to the Holy Land. They are the Haganah, Palmach, Four Freedoms, Katriel Jaffe, Henrietta Szold and the Haviva Reik. The Haganah carried 2,678 men, women and children, the largest number to arrive on one blockade runner.
A minor explosion occurred today in a garden adjoining the building housing the British military court in Jerusalem. It is believed that the blast was caused by a hand grenade. There were no casualties and only a few windows were smashed.
Earlier in the day, the court had been in session, sentencing a 17-year-old Jewish youth to five years imprisonment on charges of possessing a sackful of grenades and sticks of explosives. He was arrested near Ramath Gan April 18.
Two English-speaking gunmen last night attempted to kidnap a 40-year-old Jew near the Mea Shearim quarter of Jerusalem, but were driven off by their intended victim, who resisted and shouted for help. It is believed that the kidnappers were members of the “British Military Organization,” with which Major Roy Farran is connected.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
