Historic Item! Remnant from the Sunken Illegal Immigrant Ship - Patria

Historic Item! Remnant from the Sunken Illegal Immigrant Ship - Patria

Ohel Yitzchak - practical halachahs of ritual slaughter and examination. Vienna, 1905. Lengthy inscription on the flyleaf (both pages) signed by one of the survivors of the illegal immigrant ship Patria. Rare piece of history!

"I found this book after the calamity of the ship Patria that took place on Monday at 9:30, 24 Cheshvan, 1940. Many, approximately 260 or more, stayed on the ship and drowned in sanctification of Hashem's name, may their blood be avenged. About 1700 were rescued from the terrible waters, as Hashem's lovingkindness is endless; each and every one of those saved experienced a huge miracle. I was among those rescued - I and my daughter Bluma together, and then my wife Shaindel ... I, the youth Yitzchak Tzvi Gelb, presently residing in the Atlit detention camp, awaiting redemption and salvation for the Jewish people, Amen." Another signed inscription, on the second page: "Found after the tragedy of the ship Patria, I the youth Yitzchak Tzvi Gelb, ritual slaughterer and rabbinic instructor." The final leaf bears a signed lengthy halachic gloss.

History books write about this affair - following is a summary: Patria was a British deportation ship loaded with illegal immigrants from three ships captured in November 1940, off the coast of Israel, with the goal of deporting them to Mauritius. In order to delay the deportation, the Haganah planted a bomb on the ship while it was anchored at the Haifa port, with the purpose of causing it minor damage; but the damage was greater than planned, and the ship sank on November 25, 1940. As a result, more than 208 illegal immigrants drowned to death (the exact number is unknown, but it is estimated that there were about 250). Here is written testimony from a primary source, from a Jew who was on the ship and survived, with precise details of the catastrophic disaster.

On the flyleaf, there is a stamp from the original owners of the book: "שו"ב S. PICKER" who brought this book of laws of ritual slaughter with him when he ascended to the Land, in order to continue this profession in the Land of Israel. He was apparently killed when the ship was sunk. It is interesting to note that the source of the book also served as a ritual slaughterer, and it did indeed end up serving a ritual slaughterer in Jerusalem, and in this way served its original designation and the will of its owners.

130 pp, approximately 21 cm.

Fine condition. Detached binding.