Dalia Ofer.pdf - WNLibrary

24 ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN THE FIRST YEARS OF WORLD WAR II
spies. Yet the flow of Jewish refugees from Poland and the Reich into Slovakia,
Yugoslavia, Rumania, and Hungary continued. The need for assistance
and immigration certificates mounted, but it became quite clear from the first
weeks of the war that Britain would not ease its immigration regulations.
Thus the need to bring people to the country in irregular ways became more
acute; and for Jews from Nazi-held territories, it was their sole hope.
The Jewish Agency executive and other Zionist political bodies confronted
these problems and searched for a way to resolve them without disturbing
their political goals. The dilemma faced by the Zionist leadership pitted Jewish
and ethical values against political considerations. Morally, aliyah bet was
justifiable because it meant saving Jews; in these terms criticism of illegal
immigration was unthinkable. Economically and politically, one had to be
willing to weigh aliyah bet against a variety of other factors, reckoning its
contribution to the Zionist cause in a rational manner. The scope of the
Jewish refugee problem was simply overwhelming in relation to the size and
resources of the Yishuv. The Yishuv was capable of, and obligated to building
the national home for the sake of the future of the Jewish people. Only in
that way could it hope to provide a solution in the future. But in the interim,
this required placing priority on the problems facing the Jews in Palestine,
rather than those of the Diaspora.
Zionism saw itself, above all, as bearing the primary responsibility for the
fate of the Jewish people. Aliyah bet posed a problem of conscience for the
Zionist leadership, and its intractability was a function of the ideological and
emotional block against admitting the possibility that Zionist interests and
basic Jewish values could be in conflict with each other. The conflict was
much more profound than simply the arguments for and against. Illegal immigration
was the cause of deep personal ambivalence and inner conflict—
sometimes never truly resolved—and it was not unusual to harbor favorable
and unfavorable views at the same time.
Because of the Jewish Agency's status as an official body responsible to
the British Mandatory authorities, discussions on aliyah bet—an act of direct
defiance to the British—were entered into the minutes only indirectly—in
general deliberations on Zionist policy regarding immigration taken in response
to concrete, pressing problems. This helps explain how individuals
sometimes expressed different and conflicting views. Discussions on the subject
also took place in the labor party bodies—in the Mapai committee meetings
and in meetings of the Histadrut, which played an important role in
internal political matters as well as in relations with Diaspora Jewry. Statements
are also found in letters and private diaries, and these are more clear
and candid. The issue was also widely discussed in the press, though many
facts were concealed on account of British censorship. Indeed, newspapers
were often temporarily closed for publishing information or editorials hostile
to the British. The most telling evidence of individuals' actual standpoints on
aliyah bet is revealed in concrete decisions, actions taken, and budgetary
support for it.
Formal discussion of aliyah bet took place mainly during two limited