The story of the Holocaust survivors who founded the maritime kibbutz 'The Conquerors of the Sea'

On a personal note

A few months ago my friend told me Jacob Weiman, a member of the heritage team of the immigration ship 'Exodus', interesting information. As someone whose ears are attached to every piece of historical heritage, I listened with great attention.   

As part of his meetings with Maafili 'Exodus', Weiman met with Zeev Rodberg. At the meeting he was surprised to hear about it for the first time wolf and his friend Zvi Zamelrot Sail the ship. This is how a fascinating story turned out, about a group of young Holocaust survivors who were trained in Germany and Italy as chemists, and later were among the founders of the Israeli Navy.

In order to shed light on the important story of Kibbutz 'The Sea Conquerors' I decided to join the meetings with three members of the Kibbutz: Dan the Dane (100) Avraham Ari (95) andAvraham and Sartil (95) And to hear their story from their mouths. This is how this article, which is being presented to you for the first time, took shape.    

Avraham Ari, from Bialystok to Majdanek

Rebecca and Haim Ari They lived in Bialystok in northeastern Poland, where they raised their children: Abraham (1928) Eli (Eliyahu) and Hannah. Manifestations of anti-Semitism increased. One day a stone was thrown at 8-year-old Hana, which caused her death. Later another son joined the family.

With the outbreak of World War II, the Germans invaded Bialystok, but a week later handed it over to the Russians. In June 1941 the Germans returned and occupied the city and the next day they burned down the Jewish quarter. About 3,000 people were forced to crowd into the Great Synagogue and were burned to death. Around the same time, the Germans established the Bialystok ghetto and deported about 50,000 Jews to it, who were forced to live in overcrowding, hunger and disease.

"When the war started we heard bombs," he says Avraham Ari. "The Germans entered Bialystok. As a result of the agreement dividing Germany between Russia and Germany, my family and I remained in the Russian part until 1941. When Germany attacked Russia, we were put by the Germans into the Bialystok ghetto, where the whole family stayed together for about two years. Life in the ghetto was difficult, people died in the streets from hunger and disease.

One day they gathered us all in the central square of the city and separated the men from the women and children. I was about 12 years old. At the last moment mother managed to push me towards the group of men and when a German soldier stopped me and asked me my age, I said: 17. When I was asked my profession, I answered without hesitation: locksmith. Of course, I had no knowledge in the field of frames...

Fortunately, the German soldier believed my words and allowed me to pass and join the group of men including my father. The group of women and children including my mother, on the other hand, were less fortunate. They were taken to Treblinka where they died.      

We were taken to the Majdanek camp. They stripped us of our clothes and took our valuables, money, watches and jewelry. We were sent to shower and given work uniforms which were now our clothes.

By train from Majdanek to a labor camp

"When it was announced that professionals were required to get on a five-car train that left Majdanek, we were all pushed in the hope that getting on the train would allow those on it to leave for freedom and a better life, a hope that in practice was, as we know, far from reality.     

Father managed to get into the first car while I, who was very thin and weak after about two years in the ghetto, somehow managed to squeeze into the last car. Our destination, it turned out, was a labor camp in Poland, where I was put to work breaking rocks into small stones, hard physical work for many hours every day.

Father, who was a tailor by trade, was put to work sorting clothes for Jewish prisoners who were brought to the camp. From time to time, when rummaging through his clothes, he managed to find small pieces of gold tucked away in hidden pockets which he exchanged with the Ukrainian guards for a little food and thus managed to survive.

In the meantime, father managed to bribe one of the German soldiers so that they would transfer me to another, more comfortable work station. I was transferred to a place where a group of Jewish women prisoners worked repairing old socks.

They would cut the loose upper part of the socks and my job was to place it inside the knitting machine and fix what was needed. Thanks to my technical skills, I was able to disassemble the machine and make a certain improvement in it that upgraded the work and helped us meet the rigid daily quota that was imposed on us.  

The orders in the camp were given in German, a language I didn't know, but luckily I was able to manage with the help of deciphering hand movements and probably also a little resourcefulness."    

Next stop, Auschwitz

"At some point," he continues lion, "We were transferred to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, where I had a tattoo on my arm with the number B1183 that remained as a scar for the horrors of Direon Olam. The stay in Auschwitz was very difficult. Hunger and disease and countless corpses of Jews were rolled in the camp. Father and I contracted typhus. Somehow we got out of it. Later, when the Germans searched Healthy men to put them to work, father was taken away and I never saw him again. I stayed in Auschwitz alone, the only one in my family.

At the beginning of 1943, the Russians arrived in the area and took us out of the camp. It was a hard winter, we were basking in torn and ragged shoes in the heavy and deep snow. After an endless walk we arrived at the station. We were put on the train that brought us to the Sachsenhausen camp, a large concentration camp in the Berlin area. We were given a sack made of paper to cover ourselves but the cold was freezing. I dug in the ground and that's how I managed to survive...

One day German soldiers arrived and asked if there was a locksmith among us. Of course I raised my hand. They took me to the Dachau camp, to work in a factory in Lauenberg where they made the wing for Messerschmitt planes. Among my duties was to put a lamp on the wing. About nine months later we were transferred to the Alach concentration camp near Munich, which was attached to Dachau. Two days later, we were excited to see an American tank arrive and destroy the camp fence. American soldiers threw chocolate at us. Finally free!

With the end of the war in 1945, many Holocaust survivors arrived in displaced persons camps, but I wanted to return to Bialystok, my hometown, which was already under Russian rule. On my journey towards Russia, I met Jews who warned me not to continue on my path in the face of anti-Semitism, and so I returned to Germany, to the Degendorf camp."

Avraham and Sartil, deportation to the ghetto as a noob

The eldest daughter of the Wesertil couple was born in Bachanów, Poland. Later the family moved to Germany, where the second son was born, Abraham (1928). Two years later he was born Nathan, his younger brother. 

"In 1937", he says Avraham and Sartil, "The Poles deported four priests from their territory to Germany. This move resulted in the deportation of Poles from Germany to Poland, including our family.

When Avraham was 9 years old, his parents enrolled him in a Polish school, but since he did not know Polish, he was placed in the first grade. In the meantime, the manifestations of anti-Semitism grew and within a few days Avraham was expelled from the school.

"With the outbreak of World War II, Kashenov Jews, including my family, were brought into the Kashenov ghetto," recalls Avraham. "After a period of time in the ghetto, we were transferred to the camps. At first my father was transferred to a forced labor camp called Markstadt in Germany (which was part of the Gross-Rosen camps), later my brother was taken there and then I was also sent to join.

The food given in the camp, which was used for forced labor for the Jews, was horse meat. Father, who was traditionally religious, refused to eat. As a result of his refusal, his strength weakened and he fell ill, and as a result he was taken to another camp. That was the last time I saw him."

Alone in the concentration camps

"We were left alone, my brother and I," he continues and Sartil. "Although we lived in different barracks, we were in the same camp, so we saw each other during the day. Between the years 1942 and 1945, we were transferred from one concentration camp to another: Pinpaichen (5 lakes), Gross-Rosen, Buchenwald, Dautmergen and from there to Alach, a concentration camp attached to the camp suppress

In Alach camp Nathan got serious dysentery. Someone gave him a slice of uncooked potato and it made him feel a little better. When they put us on the animal train that was destined to bring us to our death, all of us, who had survived countless hardships, were weak and exhausted. With the rest of my strength I supported my brother and we managed to get on the train. On the way, American forces arrived and took us off the train and freed us.

At the end of the war, we arrived at the Feldping displaced persons camp in Germany. When we learned that our uncles also survived the Holocaust, an emotional meeting was held and they invited us to live in their house in the city of Passau in the Bavarian region until we get settled. In the meantime, my brother Natan found out about the "Sea Conquerors" kibbutz and he decided to join its ranks."

Kibbutz Kobshi Hayam, maritime training in Germany

At the end of World War II, an entrepreneur Shlomo Stendel (Later stony), a Holocaust survivor born in Poland and one of the founders of Noham (United Pioneer Youth), the establishment of a maritime kibbutz with the aim of training a group of Holocaust survivors in maritime professions for the immigration to Israel. He moved between the displaced persons camps in Germany to recruit volunteers and in 1946, after gathering about 30 Boys and some girls, he began to train them in Halbemaila near Degendorf in Germany.

"I thought about studying dentistry and I also tried my luck working in a garage," he says Avraham and Sartil. "When I realized that it didn't suit me, I decided to look into the possibility of joining my brother and his friends in the maritime kibbutz. I took a bicycle, got on a train and arrived in Halabmaila. After a tour of the place I decided to join. I returned to my uncle's house and the next morning I took some personal belongings and reported to the kibbutz. We studied seamanship. Some of us studied mechanics and I I was among those studying to be a sailor."

"The members of the kibbutz were trained by experts from a local German shipping company who taught the Jewish young men and women for a fee. The costs were covered by the Jewish-American Joint Organization and the Jewish Agency. The cadets' apprenticeship period was six months, which included an orderly schedule with military features. Members of the Hagana organization were also involved in the training program. In addition to the lessons, the members of the group were also given lessons in the history of Zionism.

Every morning the members of the kibbutz lined up for work and training aboard the motor ship 'Degendorf' which belonged to the 'Yosef Wallner' company. In addition to the practical and theoretical training in the subjects of navigation, knowledge of machines and loading techniques, the sailors also learned the international maritime language, which consists of various hand and flag signals.

"I studied mechanics at Kibbutz Hami." says Avraham Ari. "During the day we learned to be sailors on a large ship docked in Donan. We learned to tie knots, clean the ship and more. The captain who taught us German was of Hungarian origin. In the evening we went out on fishing boats."

The Sea Conquerors Kibbutz moves to Italy for further training

After six months of studying the seafaring profession in Halabmaila, the members of the maritime kibbutz moved to Italy, where they settled in a house rented for them for the duration of their studies not far from the maritime school in Pano, and continued their maritime training, which this time focused on in-depth theoretical studies and certification as a captain of small ships.

"One of the nights they woke us up and informed us and told us to take our few things and prepare to leave," he says Abraham. "Trucks came and picked us up in the dark of the night. They dropped us off at a certain place. A messenger from the 'Habricha' movement led us on foot through the Alps. We walked one after the other in silence under the cover of darkness.

Early in the morning we arrived in Italy. Trucks that were waiting for us at the meeting place agreed with the messenger ahead of time, drove us to Milan. We boarded a train south, to an old hotel rented for us in Pano by Noah. They took care of us for accommodation and food. After the hardships we went through, we needed food to get stronger and prepare for arriving in Israel."

Dan (Zlotzovsky) the Dane is left alone and joins the maritime kibbutz

In Italy he joined the naval kibbutz Don Zalotzowski (known to us by name Dan the Dane), born in Poland, during the war he was transferred between several concentration camps and at the end he was left alone.

Dan Hadani tells about Kibbutz Kobshi Hayam ► Watch

"I went through the first selection on a ramp in Auschwitz-Birkenau," he recalls the danish. "This is where I was separated from my mother and sister. My father died while still in the ghetto. I went through one of the following selections when it was conducted by Dr. Mangala himself. I lived in several concentration camps. I also worked under compulsion, as an engraver in a factory to build the 'Tiger', the famous German tank. With the liquidation and evacuation of this labor camp, I participated in the death march to the Wattenstadt concentration camp, which is about 32 km away.

When the war ended, after being released by American soldiers, he traveled the danish with some of his friends to register in the Jewish community in the lodge in search of surviving relatives. After it became clear to him that he was left alone from his entire family, he decided to return to Germany, which after the war was divided between the USA, Russia, Great Britain and France.

He wandered between displaced persons camps in Germany and Italy and registered for aliyah to Eretz Israel, in order to realize the dream of his family members who were not granted this. Three years later he was able to immigrate to Israel. When he learned about the naval kibbutz, he decided to join.

"When I was at the immigrant camp in Plaza, near the port city of Bari in southern Italy, I had the opportunity to hear about a group of young men who had organized in Germany on behalf of the Noah'am movement and were going to study maritime professions in Italy," he says the danish. "I was very happy that they were willing to include me as well, because so far I haven't had the chance to study, and I'm already 25 years old.   

We traveled by train to the fishing town of Pano near the port city of Ancona on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. The movement rented a house for us, the members of the kibbutz, to live in and we immediately started elementary school. For three months we studied the Italian language and then for six months we studied maritime professions and marine mechanics. At the end of the theoretical studies, we gained practical experience sailing on the town's fishing boats. Upon graduation, each of us received an official Italian certificate as a certified marine mechanic." 

On the Dakota plane to Haifa with fake passports

In preparation for immigrating to Israel in June 1948, the naval kibbutz disbanded and its members received a week-long vacation that included guided tours of the city of Rome and then showed up excitedly at the airport in Rome. 

"On June 22, 1948, about a month after the announcement of the establishment of the state, we boarded a Dakota plane at the Rome airport and landed eight hours later at the Haifa airport." remembered the danish. "Make sure to equip us ahead of time with fake passports, because the British soldiers were still guarding the airports.

Back in Italy we met you Ada Sarni, who arranged fake passports for us," he says lion. "The plane made an intermediate stop in Athens for refueling," adds Westertil. "The fake certificates were taken from us after landing in Israel."

"At eight o'clock in the morning we had breakfast at Rome's airport," he recalled the danish. In the evening, after we landed in Haifa, we were brought to an immigrant camp in the Kiryat area and there we ate an Israeli dinner that included a vegetable salad and a pale egg...

Because of the tiredness and the great excitement we immediately went to sleep. The next day at five in the morning we were driven to the old Technion building in Haifa. There we were drafted into the IDF. Two days later, we were assigned to the Israeli Navy, which was being established."

The members of the maritime kibbutz are absorbed into the Israeli Navy

"After a three-day vacation, we were placed on the ship "Hagana" (K-20) that had earlier brought Epilim to Israel," he continues the danish. "It was a Canadian warship of the corvette type, from the Second World War, which was restored after the establishment of the country. They placed a 102 mm cannon on the front deck and on the front deck they placed a 76 mm cannon from the Napoleonic era and also AA machine guns."

To the group of Holocaust survivors, members of the naval kibbutz "Occupiers of the Sea", a contribution to the establishment of the Israeli Navy that is not recognized enough. They participated in battles in the War of Independence and served long periods in the Israeli Navy in various positions. one of the members of the kibbutz, Hanan (parked) basket, fell in battles in the War of Independence." 

"Considering that I didn't have a home," he says the danish, the ship served as my home and place to stay during vacations. I hardly knew Hebrew because they didn't teach us, the new immigrants. In the first years, the country had no resources, it was a period of austerity. The residents received food through vouchers and more than once we went to bed hungry..."  

Dan Hadani, a Holocaust survivor, talks about the harsh treatment he received upon his arrival in Israel ► Watch

We continue to investigate the fascinating case of Kibbutz "Kobshe Hayam".
We would be happy if any of the readers could enrich us with additional information.