Atlit “Illegal Immigration Camp”

The “illegal” immigration to Eretz Israel during the British Mandate (the Ha’apala) is a fateful period in the history of the Jewish People and the modern settlement in Israel.

The organized Ha'apala that began in 1934 and continued until the establishment of the State of Israel (1948) is but one link in the heritage chain and the stories of heroism of the Jewish people. Tens of thousands of Jews, including Holocaust refugees from Europe and survivors of persecutions in Arab countries, endangered their lives, and, with much suffering, struggle and sacrifice managed to reach Israel in the hope of reestablishing the homeland for the Jewish People. Thus, they came by every conceivable route, by air, by sea and by land, some 122,000 Maapilim, about 20% of the entire population of Eretz Israel prior to the Israel's independence.

The saga of the “illegal” immigration, not yet fully told, is one of the more heroic and fascinating chapters in the annals of the Jewish People and the struggle for the establishment of the Jewish State in Israel.

The "Illegal" Immigrant Camp at Atlit:

The Atlit detention camp was constructed by the British Mandate in Eretz Israel, at the end of the 1930s, as a military camp on the Mediterranean coast. It was converted by them between 1939-1948 to a detention camp for “illegal“ immigrants who found themselves, yet again, incarcerated behind barbed wire, but this time on the soil of Eretz Israel - “illegal” immigrants who were caught after a struggle while arriving by any and every route, sometimes even those who held entry certificates. On the night of October 9, 1945, the prisoners were freed in a daring action by the Palmach fighters under Nachum Sarig. The operation demonstrated valor and resistance by members of the Yishuv in the struggle for the right to immigrate.

The Council for Israel Heritage Sites has been allocated approximately 20 out of the original 25 acres, which served as the Detention Camp. The site was officially proclaimed a National Monument in 1987 by the Government of Israel. The Atlit Detention Camp museum aims to teach the history of this very special immigration to Eretz Israel. It enables the visitor to experience the trauma of the immigrants who were subjected to this form of imprisonment, so soon after their release from Nazi extermination camps.

The site has a number of restored corrugated barracks, which the British used for processing, servicing and housing of the immigrants. These restored barracks serve to tell the story as the backdrop for a "Sight and Sound" show, interactive computer games and for housing and displaying the Ha'apala archives.