דרך בים: עלייה ב' בתקופת השואה 1939-1944

A history of the illegal Jewish immigration to Palestine (aliyah bet) by sea routes during the war years. The British Mandatory administration imposed strict quotas on immigration, especially after 1937. The attitude of Zionist politicians was ambivalent, as they wished to avoid confrontation with the British government. The Mossad le-Aliyah was established in 1939 to organize and control the aliyah bet activities. Once the war began, emigration organization became a sensitive issue in Nazi Germany, in British policy, and among aliyah organizers, and the latter did not receive the support they needed. The Mossad began to reorganize for action only in 1942, when fear of a Nazi invasion of the Middle East receded, when news of the death camps reached the Yishuv, and when it was clear that confrontation with Britain was inevitable. Includes sections on the Kladovo incident and the "Darien" fiasco; Revisionist Zionist activities; Nazi emigration policy; the rescue actions of Berthold Storfer; the case of the refugee boat "Struma"; Bulgarian Jewry; rescue via Romania; the rescue politics of the USA and British reactions. Altogether, 16,500 illegal immigrants arrived in Palestine between September 1939-May 1945. Concludes that although aliyah bet was limited, the movement had historical significance in the Jewish people's struggle for survival.