The brand new 10,500-ton vessel “Israel” flagship of the Zim shipping company, entered New York harbor on her maiden voyage this afternoon to receive the port’s traditional welcome for a newcomer.
As the newest passenger freight liner of the Israel merchant marine slowly steamed through the Lower Bay, Narrows and Upper Bay, escorted by Coast Guard vessels, it was greeted by steam whistles from tugs and fireboats and buzzing helicopters overhead.
The vessel, built in Germany as Israel reparations, brought some 300 passengers on the voyage which inaugurated the first all-year-’round scheduled Haifa-New York passenger service. The vessel is commanded by Capt. Avner Freudenberg.
In an editorial greeting the “Israel,” the New York Times welcomed the vessel as proof of the State of Israel’s realization that “International trade is one of the best ways of cementing and maintaining friendly relations with the United States.”
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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.
