​Mission and Activities

The Organization of Cyprus Ma’apilim: Legacy and Commemoration is a non-profit registered association dedicated to commemorating the Cyprus Ma’apilim and their supporters while imparting their legacy to future generations. Its mission includes raising public awareness about the heroic story of the Ha’apala (clandestine immigration to Israel) and the deportation of the Ma’apilim – Jewish Holocaust survivors and refugees to Cyprus.

 

The organization celebrates the cooperation of various groups, including members of the palmach and Palyam, who risked their lives to sail the ships, American volunteers who transported ships and Ma’apilim, and efforts to bring Ma’apilim from Europe and North Africa to Israel.

It seeks to honor the contributions of commanders, ship escorts, emissaries, and activists from the escape organizations, Mossad LeAliyah Bet, and Palyam, as well as the Jewish Agency and non-Jews who supported the national cause.

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Objectives

1. Imparting the Legacy

• Public Outreach: Through lectures, conferences, and seminars.

• Formal and Informal Educational Systems: Engaging with schools, youth movements, and the military and police through meetings, lectures, conferences, and learning series.

• Academia: Fostering connections with researchers and institutions, supporting academic studies on the subject.
   

2. Commemoration

• Physical Commemoration: Establishing monuments, museums, books, medals, and documentation.

• Digital Commemoration: Developing information systems about the Ma’apilim, their ships, and related historical events.
   

3. Community Building

• Supporting Ma’apilim and their families, fostering intergenerational connections.
   

4. Founding the "Young Guard"

• Encouraging youth involvement in preserving and promoting the Ma’apilim legacy.
   

Activities

To achieve these goals, the organization

• Hosts events and conferences (over 60 to date).

• Publishes books documenting Ma’apilim stories.

• Provides lectures and educational programs in collaboration with schools and youth organizations.

• Records and shares firsthand testimonies from Ma’apilim on platforms such as YouTube.

• Collects and archives documents, photographs, and research on the Ha’apala and Cyprus detention camps.

The organization also honors the Mossad and the Palyam, who operated the Ha’apala, and Cypriots who supported detainees in the camps. An annual memorial service is held at the Cyprus plot (Tamar gate) in Haifa cemetery, commemorating 163 deceased individuals, mostly infants from the camps, whose bones were brought from the Margo cemetery in Famagusta to burial in Israel in 1970 as well as the victims of the sinking ship Rafiach. Through its “Naming the Unknown” project, the organization has identified 70 previously anonymous graves.

 

Future Endeavors

The organization is working to establish a legacy center dedicated to the Cyprus Ma’apilim. It continues its mission of research, documentation, and outreach, ensuring that this vital chapter of history is remembered and celebrated.

For more information, visit the Organization of Cyprus Ma’apilim on Wikipedia.

 

Organizational Structure

Founded by seven members in 2016 during a roots trip to Cyprus, the organization was officially registered as an association in January 2023. Its founders include David Yogev, Sima Manor, Nachshon Snne, Nechama Friedman, Amir Rogel, Avi Shaul, and Avishai Shachar.

Today, the organization comprises approximately 7,000 Ma’apilim members and their families, including second and third generations. Governed by a council of twenty-three members and a board of seven directors, the non-profit organization operates through various committees and workgroups.

 

Role holders: 

The Chair: Prof. Snunith Shoham

Members of the Board of Directors: Prof Snunith Shoham, Amir Roggel, Hanna Weiss, Pinchas Kahana, Dr. Rachel Segev Miller, Avraham Uliel, Yosi Orenstein.

Treasurer: Avi Schaul

Audit Committee: Eli Sharon, Chair, Itzhak Tene

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Members of the Council: Avraham Uliel, Ofer Ben Natan, David Boker, Esti Buzi, Karny Doron, Shaul Eyal, Henia Fishman, Nechama Friedman, Pinchas Kahana, Orna Kav El, Ilan Keshet, Eli Meron, David Naor, Ehud Nusan, Yosi Orenstein, Amir Roggel, Esther Rotem, Rachel Segev Miller, Amnon Sharon, Itscak Shenhav, Snunith Shoham, Hanna Weiss, Nachshon Yeshurun.

 

Members of the Board of Directors 2022-2025: Prof. Snunith Shoham, Amir Roggel, David Yogev, Avi Schaul, Nechama Friedman, Hanna Weiss, Haya Mayor.

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Legacy and History

The legacy of the Cyprus Ma’apilim was forged in the aftermath of World War II, during their determined efforts to reach Israel. Their journey unfolded along the “escape routes,” through training and preparation camps, and aboard ships, as they faced fierce resistance from the British authorities. Their struggle extended to the detention camps in Cyprus, where they began building new lives despite immense challenges. 

 

This legacy began with their unwavering decision to reach Israel by any means possible. It evolved through the movements and groups that organized their efforts, grew aboard the ships in defiance of British restrictions, took shape within the Cyprus detention camps, and culminated in their immigration to Israel, a defining moment of perseverance and fulfillment in their new homeland. 

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Between 1946 and 1949, over 52,000 Ma’apilim embarked on thirty-nine clandestine ships from various ports in France, Italy, Sweden, Yugoslavia, Algeria, Bulgaria, and Greece, and were intercepted by British warships. The British aimed to prevent their arrival to Palestine. The first Ma’apilim detained in Cyprus were the 1,290 men and women aboard the ships Yagur and Henrietta Szold, captured on August 14, 1946. Cyprus was part of the British Empire since 1878. 

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The British Army constructed twelve camps on the island, enclosed by barbed wire and guard towers, across three main sites: The Summer Camps (Karaolos), located near Famagusta. These camps (numbered 55 and 60–63) initially housed Ma’apilim from the Yagur and Henrietta Szold ships in August 1946. The Winter Camps (Dhekelia and Xylotymbou), built later in November 1946. These camps (numbered 64–68) first housed refugees from the Knesset Israel and Rafiah ships. Tent Camps (69 and 70), established in October 1947 near the Winter Camps. These additional facilities were created to accommodate the increasing number of detainees, including those from the ships Ge’ula (lit. Redemption) and Medinat HaYehudim (lit. The State of the Jews). By January 1948, half of the refugees from the Pan Crescent and Pan York ships were also transferred to these camps. 

 

The Ma’apilim endured harsh conditions and severe deprivation in the camps: 

1. Overcrowding in tents or tin shacks that were unbearably hot in summer and freezing in winter. 

2. Limited food rations and lack of necessities such as running water. Water was delivered only twice a week. 

3. No access to electricity, fuel, or meaningful employment. 

4. Strict confinement within the camps. 
    

Despite these challenges, they established schools, vocational training programs, and youth villages with the support of the Joint Distribution Committee and Israeli emissaries. The British eventually allowed limited external aid. Volunteer doctors, nurses, teachers, and youth leaders from Israel were permitted to enter the camps. 

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Members of the Palmach, who infiltrated the camps by blending in with the Ma’apilim, secretly organized defense and military training for the detainees to prepare them for the fight for Israel’s independence. 

The Ma’apilim in Cyprus embodied resilience, rising from the horrors of the Holocaust with the hope of reaching Israel. They opposed British control, contributing significantly to the War of Independence and the eventual establishment of the State of Israel. Tragically, some of these individuals perished in battle, including the last surviving members of entire families. 

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The final group of Ma’apilim was released in February 1949, nine months after Israel's independence. The British had delayed their release, fearing they would strengthen the Jewish fighting force. Many of these individuals went on to join the newly established IDF, some even attaining senior command positions. 

After the War of Independence, the Ma’apilim from Cyprus played a vital role in shaping Israeli society. They contributed to national security, established new settlements, supported economic development, and enriched education, academia, and culture. Their resilience and determination continue to inspire the narrative of Israel’s founding.