Commander of the Exodus“The first biography of Yossi Harel . . . offers valuable insights into the Jewish struggle to create a homeland.” —Booklist Hailed by the New York Times as “one of the most inventive, brilliant novelists in the Western world,” internationally renowned Israeli writer Yoram Kaniuk turns his hand to nonfiction to bring us his most important work yet. Commander of the Exodus animates the story of Yossi Harel, a modern-day Moses who defied the blockade of the British Mandate to deliver more than twenty-four thousand displaced Holocaust survivors to Palestine while the rest of the world closed its doors. Of the four expeditions commanded by Harel between 1946 and 1948, the voyage of the Exodus left the deepest impression on public consciousness, quickly becoming a beacon for Zionism and a symbol to all that neither guns, cannons, nor warships could stand in the way of the human need for a home. With grace and sensitivity, Kaniuk shows the human face of history. He pays homage to the young Israeli who was motivated not by politics or personal glory, but by the pleading eyes of the orphaned children languishing on the shores of Europe. Commander of the Exodus is both an unforgettable tribute to the heroism of the dispossessed and a rich evocation of the vision and daring of a man who took it upon himself to reverse the course of history. “[Yossi Harel’s] remarkable achievements have been engraved in history by the talent of Yoram Kaniuk.” —Ehud Barak, former prime minister of Israel |
Contents
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Section 19 | |
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Section 22 | |
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Section 25 | |
Section 9 | |
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Section 11 | |
Section 12 | |
Section 13 | |
Section 14 | |
Section 15 | |
Section 16 | |
Section 17 | |
Section 26 | |
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Section 28 | |
Section 29 | |
Section 30 | |
Section 31 | |
Section 32 | |
Section 33 | |
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Common terms and phrases
aboard ship Aliyah Beth already American anchor Anna Arabs army arrived asked Atina Auschwitz Aviv battle became began Ben-Gurion boat Bricha British Bulgaria cable captain commander crew Cyprus dead death deck departure deportation ships desert destroyers disembark Europe Exodus eyes felt fight fighters forced friends German girl Greek Haganah Haifa Hanita hundred illegal immigration Jerusalem Jewish refugees Jews killed Knesset Israel land later lived looked loved Masada Mefkure Mossad Mossad le-Aliyah Beth mountain Musa Dagh Nathan Alterman Nazis night Palestine Palestine Jews Palmach Pan Crescent Pan York passengers port President Warfield reached remained rescue Romanian sailors sang set sail Shaul Avigur Sheyke ship’s soldiers stood survivors Tel Aviv thousand told took train transit camps transport tried trucks turned voyage waited wanted waves Weizmann Wingate woman women Yerushalmi yishuv Yitzhak Sadeh Yossi Yossi Harel Yossi knew young Yugoslavian Zionist