Jewish Lads Suffer Hardships Walking to Palestine Via Odessa and Constantinople

A moving tale of six young Jewish boys attempting to reach Palestine afoot starting from Minsk in Northern Russia has just come to light here.

Each Friday a ship leaves Odessa for Constantinople. Three weeks ago, when the ship was out at sea a day and a half, six stowaways were discovered in the hold. They were Jewish boys, the oldest eighteen years old. According to the rules and regulations governing a ship on the high seas they were promptly haled before the captain of the “Ilitsch,” an old sailor who navigated the Black Sea long before the red banner with the hammer and sickle was nailed to the mast. He gave the lads a rousing reprimand. The discovery of the boys created a buzz of excitement among the passengers and they all crowded about the captain’s cabin during the interrogation.

Where were their passports? Where were the official permits to leave the Soviet Union? And where did they think they were going? They were going to Palestine, they answered. To Palestine? But the “Ilitsch” wasn’t going to Palestine, the captain said. The “Ilitsch” was going to Constantinople. “All right,” came back one of the boys, “that suits us fine!”

THREATENED RETURN TO ODESSA

The captain became furious. He threatened to put them in irons, and he certainly wasn’t going to allow them to set foot on land in Turkey. They were going back with him to Odessa, and once in Odessa right in jail. Where was their home, he asked. Their home was in Igumen near Minsk in White Russia. How did they come to Odessa? They had walked. Walked? Impossible. They proved it. How long had it taken to walk the distance from Igumen to Odessa? They had been seven months on the way. Their shoes had worn out, their clothes were in tatters. They were starved. Passengers clubbed together and gave them food.

ESCAPE AT CONSTANTINOPLE

When the ship pulled into Constantinople the Jewish boys were put in irons. The captain put the keys in his pocket and went ashore. Everybody else went on shore, except few watchmen. One of the watchmen was a Jew. He crawled into the pitch-dark hold where the sixty prisoners languished. smashed the locks on their fetters and released them. All seven went ashore. Next day the Stamboul police combed the city for them. They were not to be found.

Your correspondent saw one of them in Salonica. He said things were going all right, another frontier had to be crossed without a passport. They would get to Palestine eventually in six months, a year maybe, but get there they would. How about the British immigration police in Palestine? he was asked. The Chalutz (Zionist pioneer) shrugged his shoulders.