The “Children of the Exodus” celebrating their 70th birthday

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Published: 28 August 2017

Last updated: 4 March 2024

Now surrounded by grandchildren, they were born on the famous ship carrying 4,500 illegal Jewish immigrants from Europe to Palestine in 1947.

Born en Route: The children of the Exodus, 70 years later (Haaretz)
The first baby was born on the Exodus on July 12, the day after it left France for Palestine. “Congratulations, we have a baby boy. Mother and child are doing well,” read an announcement sent from the ship to the commanders of the clandestine Aliyah Bet illegal immigration operation run by the Haganah paramilitary organization. To the illegal immigrants, the ship’s leaders had a more dramatic message: “This morning a child was born on our boat. Let the newborn child be a symbol of our determined will to live. We wish the newborn success in planting roots in the soil of his country.” Now, 70 years later Haaretz bring the story of some of those “Children of the Exodus” (Aug 24)

Photo: The SS Exodus in 1947 (Presston/Wikimedia Commons)