The Exodus Flag: A Symbol of the Plight of Jewish Displaced Persons

Weiss, a boatswain and carpenter, was one of dozens of American Jewish volunteers aboard the ship that left France in July 1947. It was carrying more than 4,500 Holocaust survivors who sought to immigrate to Palestine in violation of British policy. Jewish philanthropists from Baltimore and Washington, DC, largely financed the voyage, which came to an end when British naval forces stopped the ship on July 18. Violence broke out as those aboard the ship resisted the navy’s attempt to board and seize the Exodus. One crew member and two passengers were killed, while dozens suffered bullet wounds and other injuries. The British forces towed the ship to Haifa. As the ship came into port, the crew played “Hatikvah,” which is now the national anthem of the State of Israel, and flew the Zionist flag in place of the Honduran flag under which the ship was registered. <a href="https://medium.com/memory-action/the-exodus-flag-a-symbol-of-the-plight-of-jewish-displaced-persons-2015d0a3532d">Read More</a>