The “Yehuda Halevi” was the first vessel to bring Ma’apilim (Jewish immigrants wishing to come to Israel) from North Africa. It was named after the great Jewish poet and philosopher of the Middle-Ages, who lived in Spain during the 1100’s. At the height of his career he decided to go to the Holy Land.
The vessel arrived in the early evening of May 10th 1946, at a coordinate not far from
the military base of Tens, Algeria, and the Ma’apilim were brought from shore to ship
by launch. The boarding process was interrupted by the French police and about 250
people, who were still on shore, were arrested.
The vessel sailed out to sea with 399
Ma’apilim, who managed to board. She sailed to the harbor of Palermo, Sicily, to take
on coal and continued on to Palestine in a rough sea, with a British destroyer on her
tail. During this voyage a young girl sickened and died.
On May 31st, when the vessel had approached the shore of Palestine, it was
surrounded by five British destroyers. Two of them butted the vessel and British
soldiers boarded her immediately, using tear gas.
The ship was towed to Haifa port and the Jewish immigrants were deported to and interned into camps in Cyprus.