Commander of the Exodus

Britain, which controlled Palestine under an international mandate, had in 1939 restricted the number of Jews it would allow to move there to 75,000 over five years, a tiny figure compared with the number who were desperate to go there. Partly because of pressure from Arab countries, Britain held fast to this pre-World War II limit, even as Holocaust survivors tried to go to a biblical homeland.



Led secret operations
Mr. Harel commanded the main clandestine operations bringing immigrants to Palestine and personally delivered 24,000 of them, a quarter of the total. He is particularly remembered for his command of four large ships. He named one Exodus to recall the Jews' escape from Egypt.

The Exodus never made it to the Palestinian shore. But it made a dazzling sight as it approached the port of Haifa. Loudspeakers blared "Hatikvah," which would become Israel's national anthem. What would be Israel's flag snapped in the wind.

It was there that British forces boarded the boat and engaged in a violent encounter with Holocaust survivors, leaving three Jews dead and hundreds injured. The unintended symbolism could not have been stronger: The British used tear gas and delivered the Jews to an old Nazi SS camp near Hamburg. The events caused outrage and prompted support for the Zionist dream.

This vivid tale quickly assumed the mythic power in the Israeli independence struggle that the Boston Tea Party had in America's. It was turned into "Exodus," a popular 1958 book by Leon Uris, which two years later became a film directed by Otto Preminger. Paul Newman portrayed Mr. Harel, who was called Ari Ben Canaan in the movie.

Yoram Kaniuk, an Israeli author, wrote in a biography of Mr. Harel that the state of Israel was established not in May 1948, when independence was declared and the British left, but on July 18, 1947, when the Exodus sailed toward certain confrontation in the port of Haifa.

"The state of Israel came into existence before it acquired a name, when its gates were locked to Jews, when the British fought against survivors of the Holocaust," Kaniuk wrote.

Yossi Harel was born Yossef Hamburger on Jan. 4, 1918, in Jerusalem; he and his twin brother represented the sixth generation of his family to be born there. The Guardian reported in its obituary that he had a troubled youth, and, after a series of labor jobs, he left his family at 14 to join the Haganah, the Jewish paramilitary organization that later became the core of Israel's military. Kaniuk called him a "Zionist cowboy" in his book.

Mr. Harel joined the British army during World War II and was badly injured in fighting in Greece. He then worked to transport as many Jews to Palestine as possible, legally or illegally. The Daily Telegraph reported that in mid-1946 he was sent on a secret mission to provide gold to agents in Greece to use in bribing European governments to speed up the transit of Jews to Palestine.
Led shiploads of Jewish refugees
Commanded operation to bring thousands of immigrants to Palestine in 1940s
By Douglas Martin | New York Times News Service
May 2, 2008



Yossi Harel, who renamed the rickety ship he commanded Exodus 1947 and sailed it to legend as a symbol of the righteousness of the mission by Jews to settle Palestine in the face of British opposition, died Saturday at his home in Tel Aviv. He was 90.

His death of a heart attack and his burial were widely reported in the Israeli news media.


Fight with British
Exodus 1947 began as the merchant vessel President Warfield, which was being scrapped after service for both the British and Americans in World War II. It was secretly purchased by Haganah and left Baltimore on Feb. 25, 1947. Mr. Harel, whom Haganah had earlier ordered to study coastal navigation, took command at an Italian port. The refugees boarded at Sete, France, on July 12.

Six days later came the confrontation with the British. At first Mr. Harel encouraged resistance but then surrendered to prevent further casualties. The next day, members of a UN special committee overseeing developments in Palestine watched refugees being transferred to British ships for return to Europe. The committee recommended that the British mandate end and a Jewish state be established. The UN General Assembly authorized this on Nov. 29, 1947.

About Us


Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg B.A. in religion from the University of Chicago-valedictory orator. Masters and Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary -Krasne Award for outstanding student. He was a National Merit scholar and the 1974 USA National High School Debate Champion. He has been adjunct faculty of St. Catherine College and Metropolitan University, teaching Bible and Judaism. He is currently Rabbi of the Ezra-Habonim, Niles Township Jewish Congregation of Skokie Illinois.
He was recently the featured rabbi on Time.com and CNN.com online for his
fantastic contribution in Jewish education via his videos which have been viewed over 2,000,000 times. Past National Debate champion, National Merit Scholar, Valedictory Orator University of Chicago, awarded Krasne Prize for outstanding student at the Jewish Theological Seminary Rabbinical School
He has served as volunteer President of the Minnesota Rabbinic Association and Niles Township Clergy Assocation in Illinois, Excutive Committee of the State of Israel Bonds Rabbinic Cabinet
Rabbi Gail Ginsburg was nominated as teacher of the year as college teacher of religion and jewish texts, she has a unique place in American Jewry and conversion work as a former Lutheran pastor of a 4000 member Church prior to her conversion to Judaism. She holds a masters of Divinity degree and won awards in Hebrew Bible and Hebrew. She has a published article on the book of Ecclesiastes. She received Smicha Rabbinic Ordination from an Orthodox Rabbi in June 2008.
Rabbi Gail Nord Ginsburg is well-known throughout the Upper Midwest as a gifted and inspiring teacher, and as a spiritual counselor. Ginsburg teaches synagogue classes, seminars and college classes on Jewish spirituality, and is a published author. In addition to her work as a hospital chaplain, she and her husband, a Conservative Rabbi, direct the Jewish Institute for Religious Training, which offers a variety of online and onsite opportunities for spiritual growth.
Prior to converting to Judaism, she was an ordained Lutheran minister, having received the Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary, where she was honored with the Olson Award for Homiletics and the Milton Award for Hebrew Bible Study. In June, 2008, she was attained smicha from an Orthodox rabbi.