Cyprus internment camps
Encyclopedia
Cyprus internment camps were camps run by the British
government for internment
of Jews who had immigrated or attempted to immigrate to Mandatory Palestine in violation of British policy. The camps operated from August 1946 to January 1949 and in total held about 51,000 persons.
, the British government decided that future Jewish immigration to Palestine would be limited to 75,000 over the next five years, with further immigration subject to Arab consent. At the end of World War II
, there were still 10,938 immigration certificates remaining but the five years had expired. The British government agreed to continue issuing 1,500 certificates per month, but the influx of Jews, especially from the displaced person camps in Europe, well exceeded that number. It was decided in August 1946 to hold many of the illegal immigrants on Cyprus. Previous places of detention had included Atlit detainee camp
in Palestine, and a camp in the Mauritius. A few thousand refugees, mostly Greeks but also a "considerable number" of Jews from the Balkans, had reached Cyprus during the war years.
, and Dekhelia, outside of Larnaca
. The first camp, at Caraolos, had been used from 1916 to 1923 for Turkish prisoners of war.
The majority of Cyprus detainees were intercepted before reaching Palestine, usually by boat. Most of them were Holocaust survivors, about 60% from the displaced person camps and others from the Balkans and other East European countries. They were mostly young, 80% between 13 and 35, and included over 6,000 orphan children. A very small group of Moroccan Jews was also in the camps.
From November 1946 to the time of the Israeli Declaration of Independence in May 1948, Cyprus detainees were allowed into Palestine at a rate of 750 people per month. During 1947-48, special quotas were given to pregnant women, nursing mothers, and the elderly. Released Cyprus detainees amounted to 67% of all immigrants to Palestine during that period, and 40% during the war months of May-September 1948. The final group of detainees, 11,000 in number, immigrated to Israel in January–February 1949. About 2000 children were born in the camps.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
(the "Joint") provided most of the detainee's needs, including welfare and medical aid, two nurseries, and extra food rations. The Jewish Agency sent teachers and social workers from Palestine but refused to give direct aid to the detainees on the grounds that it would grant legitimacy to the camps.
Conditions in the camps were very harsh, with poor sanitation, over-crowding, lack of privacy, and shortage of clean water being the main complaints. The local Joint director Morris Laub considered that the German prisoners of war housed in adjacent camps were treated better.
, adapted from the book of the same name by Leon Uris, starts with the arrival of Jews in a camp.
The presence of Palestine volunteers is also shown.
Ruth Gruber
documents the daily life of Jewish detainees and conditions in the camps of Xylotimbu and Caraolos in her book Exodus 1947: The Ship that Launched a Nation.
The book series "Promise of Zion" by Robert Elmer references the camps as the main character avoids being captured with other Jews on board a ship, and again when he returns to Cyprus in search of his mother. The camps' living condition are described in more detail here.
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
government for internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
of Jews who had immigrated or attempted to immigrate to Mandatory Palestine in violation of British policy. The camps operated from August 1946 to January 1949 and in total held about 51,000 persons.
Background
In the White Paper of 1939White Paper of 1939
The White Paper of 1939, also known as the MacDonald White Paper after Malcolm MacDonald, the British Colonial Secretary who presided over it, was a policy paper issued by the British government under Neville Chamberlain in which the idea of partitioning the Mandate for Palestine, as recommended in...
, the British government decided that future Jewish immigration to Palestine would be limited to 75,000 over the next five years, with further immigration subject to Arab consent. At the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, there were still 10,938 immigration certificates remaining but the five years had expired. The British government agreed to continue issuing 1,500 certificates per month, but the influx of Jews, especially from the displaced person camps in Europe, well exceeded that number. It was decided in August 1946 to hold many of the illegal immigrants on Cyprus. Previous places of detention had included Atlit detainee camp
Atlit detainee camp
The Atlit detainee camp was a detention camp established by the British at the end of the 1930s on what is now Israel's northern coast south of Haifa. The camp was established to prevent Jewish refugees, mainly Holocaust survivors, from entering then-Palestine...
in Palestine, and a camp in the Mauritius. A few thousand refugees, mostly Greeks but also a "considerable number" of Jews from the Balkans, had reached Cyprus during the war years.
Operation
At its peak there were nine camps in Cyprus, located at two sites about 50km apart. They were Caraolos, north of FamagustaFamagusta
Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...
, and Dekhelia, outside of Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
. The first camp, at Caraolos, had been used from 1916 to 1923 for Turkish prisoners of war.
The majority of Cyprus detainees were intercepted before reaching Palestine, usually by boat. Most of them were Holocaust survivors, about 60% from the displaced person camps and others from the Balkans and other East European countries. They were mostly young, 80% between 13 and 35, and included over 6,000 orphan children. A very small group of Moroccan Jews was also in the camps.
From November 1946 to the time of the Israeli Declaration of Independence in May 1948, Cyprus detainees were allowed into Palestine at a rate of 750 people per month. During 1947-48, special quotas were given to pregnant women, nursing mothers, and the elderly. Released Cyprus detainees amounted to 67% of all immigrants to Palestine during that period, and 40% during the war months of May-September 1948. The final group of detainees, 11,000 in number, immigrated to Israel in January–February 1949. About 2000 children were born in the camps.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is a worldwide Jewish relief organization headquartered in New York. It was established in 1914 and is active in more than 70 countries....
(the "Joint") provided most of the detainee's needs, including welfare and medical aid, two nurseries, and extra food rations. The Jewish Agency sent teachers and social workers from Palestine but refused to give direct aid to the detainees on the grounds that it would grant legitimacy to the camps.
Conditions in the camps were very harsh, with poor sanitation, over-crowding, lack of privacy, and shortage of clean water being the main complaints. The local Joint director Morris Laub considered that the German prisoners of war housed in adjacent camps were treated better.
In popular media
The 1960 film ExodusExodus (film)
Exodus is a 1960 epic war film made by Alpha and Carlyle Productions and distributed by United Artists. Produced and directed by Otto Preminger, the film was based on the 1958 novel Exodus, by Leon Uris. The screenplay was written by Dalton Trumbo, which represented the breaking of the Hollywood...
, adapted from the book of the same name by Leon Uris, starts with the arrival of Jews in a camp.
The presence of Palestine volunteers is also shown.
Ruth Gruber
Ruth Gruber
Ruth Gruber is an American journalist, photographer, writer, humanitarian and a former United States government official.-Early life:...
documents the daily life of Jewish detainees and conditions in the camps of Xylotimbu and Caraolos in her book Exodus 1947: The Ship that Launched a Nation.
The book series "Promise of Zion" by Robert Elmer references the camps as the main character avoids being captured with other Jews on board a ship, and again when he returns to Cyprus in search of his mother. The camps' living condition are described in more detail here.