Throngs filled the piers when the Wooster Victory docked here briefly and held a reception for a thousand persons emigrating from China. Five hundred of the passengers are Jewish and 420 of them are bound for Israel.
Israel Consul Y. Gaulan extended greetings to the emigrants on behalf of their new country. He said later that he found it a most moving occasion, with many of the passengers in tears out of gratitude for the cordiality of the reception accorded them by Capetown’s Jewish community. Gifts for their comfort during the rest of the voyage were presented to the travelers.
Among the Jews were many from Shanghai, Harbin and Tientsin. There were also Iraqi Jews who had gone to Shanghai in recent years, as well as others from Turkey who had been in Manila. The passengers who had come from Communist China said that the new Pekin regime showed friendliness toward them and treated them well. It was, however, no longer possible to continue their businesses, hence they had decided to leave, they said.
The ship had a stormy voyage during which two elderly passengers died. Passage was arranged by the International Refugee Organization. The vessel is expected to arrive in Naples Dec. 19, when the Israel-bound emigrants will be transshipped for Haifa.
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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.
