Port authorities here were completely puzzled today when a small ship appeared in the harbor flying the Nazi swastika flag and completely manned by Jewish sailors from the captain down to the cabin boy.
Officials thought it was a prank and questioned the crew closely.
They found that the ship, named Atid, which means “future” in Hebrew, had been built in a Hamburg shipyard for delivery to Jewish owners in Haifa, Palestine.
The captain explained that only when the vessel reached Haifa and was delivered could the Nazi flag be hauled down and the Blue and White Zionist flag hoisted.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
