The Reader’s Forum

(The editors reserve the right to excerpt all letters exceeding 250 words in length. All letters must bear the name and address of the writer although not necessarily for publication.)

To the Editor, Jewish Daily Bulletin:

In reference to the articles of William B. Ziff concerning England’s unjust immigration restriction upon the Jews who wish to enter Palestine, I want to relate a personal experience.

For various reasons, but more so because I was an ardent Zionist, I stowed away on the Aquitania, which was bound for Palestine some time early in March of this year. After twelve hours at sea, I decided to give myself up as an unintentional passenger, knowing eventually I would be found out. Well, the next thing I found myself in the ship’s brig. The ship’s sergeant greeted me with the good news that my fare had been paid by my brother, who was informed by the ship’s company that I was a prisoner on ship and that I would be jailed in Gibraltar if my fare was not paid. Thus I became a regular passenger on the boat and was treated accordingly.

The ship being bound for Palestine, naturally there were many Zionists on it with whom I became acquainted. They raised the necessary funds to get me a passport, since I had only a few cents in my pocket. The Zionists on the boat were unable to obtain a visa from the British Consul for me. However the problem was cleared when it was decided to wait until the ship reached Palestine and they could have me admitted on a Hechalutz certificate. The boat finally reached its destination at Palestine.

I found I was a prisoner once more—not in the brig, but on the ship—despite the fact that I was a passenger and my fare had been paid. I was put under heavy guard. Beside the sergeant I had two Palestine Police and two ship stewards. In all, I had five guards surrounding me all the time the boat was docked in Palestine. They threatened to put me in the brig if I attempted to evade the guards.

I finally was brought up to the immigration authorities on the ship. The clerks for the Immigration Department were from the Jewish Agency. It seemed that they were aware of my plight but took no action to aid me. Finally, the British officer of the Immigration Department approached me and asked me various questions concerning entry into Palestine. He told me that the passport was not sufficient to permit entry. I tried to persuade him to let me in on a chalutz certificate. This he admitted could be done provided I was to go Syria and get a temporary visa from the British Consul thus making entry into Palestine possible. To my amazement, he refused to let me leave the ship claiming without a visa I couldn’t set foot on Palestine, despite the fact that it was only an hour’s ride to Syria. All means to persuade him to let me land were ignored, he could not be reasoned with. I then went on deck with the five guards around me.

The ship began to leave the harbor at dusk. I was free to roam the decks now that the ship left Palestine. I sat alone by the ship’s railing watching the ship move slowly out. I began to feel depressed, to think that in the land of Israel, the Jewish Homeland that I loved so, the land I would sweat blood just for the sake of eternal Israel, would shut the gates on one of its own sons. Such was fate, the irony of it.

Paul Israelowitz.

Brooklyn, N. Y.

November 25, 1934.