Captain of Jewish immigrant ship the Exodus dies

[IndianaGreen]

The skipper of the Jewish immigrant ship the Exodus, which was refused entry to British-controlled Palestine in 1947, has died at the age of 86.

Israeli President Shimon Peres said the captain, Yitzhak (Ike) Aharonovitz, had made a unique contribution to the state of Israel.

The Exodus was carrying over 4,000 mostly Holocaust survivors when the ship was forced to return to Germany.

The incident sparked widespread sympathy for their plight.

After weeks at sea, the refugees were placed in camps in Germany.

After an international outcry, they were transferred to Cyprus by the British authorities, where they remained until the creation of Israel in 1948.

The incident inspired a novel by the American writer, Leon Uris, and a 1960 film starring Paul Newman.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8429236.stm

On edit:

Last update - 21:51 23/12/2009

Captain of famed Exodus refugee ship dies at 86

By Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press

The ship's ordeal was widely reported worldwide, garnering sympathy for the refugees, especially because they were taken to Germany, where the Nazi murder of 6 million Jews during World War II originated.

It inspired a fictionalized account by American writer Leon Uris and a classic 1960 film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Paul Newman.

Newman's character was patterned after Yossi Harel, who commanded the Exodus mission as a leader of the Haganah pre-state Jewish armed force. Harel died last year.

Ahronovitch, who was nicknamed Ike, captained the ship. His daughter said the experience remained a pivotal part of his life for years afterward.

It was one of the most important things of his life. He wasn't a big storyteller, but he'd happily tell schoolchildren about it, she said. The Exodus influenced him and his friends deeply. Those were the days that defined them and as far as they were concerned defined the character of this country.

President Shimon Peres eulogized Aharonovitch and said that "Ike was unlike anyone else and no one was like Ike - a rare combination of pioneering, bravery and love for the people," said Peres.

"Exodus was the product of his very spirit, as he was not just a regular captain, but a captain who gave the voyage its character through amazing leadership skills" he added.

Aharonovitch, also known as Ike, died after a long illness, his daughter Ella said.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137123.html

[Cirque du So-What]

1. He was 24 when he was captain of the Exodus

That's pretty amazing in itself.

[Ken Burch]

2. He represented a time when it looked like this was about creating a beautiful new way of life

Not about taking land for the sake of taking land.

The state he helped create was unworthy of the man, and of the early ideals Zionism was supposed to be about.

Farwell, Yitzhak Aharonovitz. Your heroic work deserved a happier ending. Perhaps that happier ending is still to come, for everyone in that sad land.