Many of the 1,000-odd Polish Jews who arrived here this week as immigrants aboard the vessel Protea insisted upon returning to Poland on the same ship as the result of a bitter dispute with port police who confiscated their food parcels, it was learned today.
The immigrants insisted that they had been told before they boarded the vessel that in view of the serious food shortage in Israel they could bring unlimited quantities of food to the Jewish state. Many said they sold their valuable personal possessions in Poland in order to be able to bring more food.
The port police were called in when the customs officials, who normally seize forbidden items refused to act in the fact of mounting hostility among the immigrants. The Hebrew press attacked the action of the authorities, asserting that it is “inconsistent with the government’s anti-black market drive.” It is understood that an official investigation has been launched.
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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.
