Commander of the Exodus

by Yoram Kaniuk, Seymour Simckes (Translator)

Hailed by The New York Times as "one of the most inventive, brilliant novelists in the Western world," internationally renowned Israeli writer Yoram Kaniuk turns his hand to nonfiction to bring us his most important work yet. Commander of the Exodus animates the story of Yossi Harel, a modern-day Moses who defied the blockade of the British Mandate to deliver more than 24,000 displaced Holocaust survivors to Palestine while the rest of the world closed its doors. Of the four expeditions commanded by Harel between 1946 and 1948, the voyage of the Exodus left the deepest impression on public consciousness, quickly becoming a beacon for Zionism and a symbol to all that neither guns, cannons, nor warships could stand in the way of the human need for a home. With grace and sensitivity, Kaniuk shows the human face of history. He pays homage to the young Israeli who was motivated not by politics or personal glory, but by the pleading eyes of the orphaned children languishing on the shores of Europe. Commander of the Exodus is both an unforgettable tribute to the heroism of the dispossessed and a rich evocation of the vision and daring of a man who took it upon himself to reverse the course of history. "[Yossi Harel's] remarkable achievements have been engraved in history by the talent of Yoram Kaniuk." -- Ehud Barak, prime minister of Israel

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Jewish, Historical

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Yoram Kaniuk (Hebrew: יורם קניוק) was an Israeli writer, painter, journalist, and theater critic.

Winner of the Bialik Prize for Children's Literature (1991).

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clear-eyed, unsentimental book about the illegal immigration of the Jews of Europe into Palestine that occurred after WW II. Yossi Harel, a Sabra (native born Israeli), fought against the British to bring the broken remnant of the Jewish people to the shores of Palestine, now Israel. What struck me was the insideous hatred of the British government and navy against the Jews. The British were completely pro-Arab, even though the Arab states were pro-Nazi, the enemy whom the British were fighting against. The actions and non-actions of the Haganah and other Jewish fighter groups are also brought to task showing that they could have done more to save the Jews of Europe. This book is a straight forward account of an incredible young man who at age 28 understood the pain of the survivors and tried to help them reach their destiny.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yossi Harel, if he is not regarded as a saint, ought to be. A truly heart-warming and heart-rending story of human perseverance. And when you're done, you'll also probably not like a lot of the progressives of the era - those who turned a blind eye to the plight of Jews throughout Europe.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the true story of The treatment of the Jews during and after WWII as many of them, unable to return home and lacking safe alternatives, looked for ways to emigrate to Palestine where the beginnings of what would become the state of Israel were forming. At its core, it is also the story of Yossi Harel who defied the British blockade to help over 24,000 displaced Holocaust survivors reach Palestine to join their fellow Jews. He organized four expeditions by ship, the most well known is that of the Exodus, and took many risks including threats of violence attempting to block and turn them back. The author provides large amounts of detail of how Jews were rejected by most countries when they asked to be allowed to escape from the Nazis, including Great Britain and the United States. He also provides the political calculations made that in the end resulted in untold numbers of Jewish deaths. These were definitely not humanity's finest hours. Great read for anyone who is interested in the Jewish experience during and after WWII, their surprisingly poor treatment by the allies, and the events leading up to the formation of Israel.

[Angelosdaughter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to Learn

The history behind Leon Uris' novel and the characters inspired by some in the true story. In spite of my reading about the Holocaust, I can never become inured to the horrors perpetrated upon the Jewish people. How the British could subject the refugees to further pivation after the sufferings they survived is incomprehensible.
The image of 16-year-old Agnes who had been forced into a brothel for the S S, defiantly singing a lullaby to an old guitar on the deck of the Exodus in the face of the British blockade as the ship neared Haifa will stay with me. She bore a tattoo on her chest marking her with an initial and number, and the designation 'field w_ _ _ _e' . I hope that when this child reached Israel, she found peace and healing, and somehow was able to find life and love. A blessing on her memory.

[Anat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of the Holocaust survivors no country wanted to take after the war, told through the story of the young man who tried to smuggle them into Mandate Palestine when the British closed the gates. Many died on the way. The horrors these people (some of them young children) have been through is unfathomable and their hell continued from camp to camp until the state of Israel was established on this day (May 15th) in 1948.

Reading this book as I am stranded in Japan, a long way from home, makes me appreciate the independence and strength and mere existence of Israel and realize how privileged I have been compared to my grandparents and my ancestors, that I took it for granted.

[neil hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

British Colonial Abuse

The appalling role of the British is nothing less than a national disgrace. A country whose empire collapsed and lost any morality should not be forgiven. It is not surprising that the Palestinian Jewish blockade has been kept secret. British aspirations of Middle East control together with the French through the Sykes/Picot agreement have deprived the Arab nations of their self determination. A terrible history…

[Ira Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

In part a biography and in part a blistering diatribe against an uncaring world when it came to Jewish refugees from the Holocaust, Commander of the Exodus is a well written and informative history of the Jewish attempts to immigrate to Palestine, the best known of which is the voyage of the Exodus. A lot of the information presented in the book was new to me. I’m glad I was able to read this.

[Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating story but so detailed as to be slow-moving.

[Shelley Alongi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read much on this though Iam familiar with the attitudes of the time. Courageous andd stellar.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Israeli writer Yoram Kaniuk turns his hand to nonfiction to bring us the story of Yossi Harel, who defied the blockade of the post-WWII British Mandate to deliver more than 24,000 displaced Holocaust survivors to Palestine. It is amazing the lethal violence and subterfuge Britain's navy would take at this time to stop Holocaust survivors from getting a toehold in Palestine. I wonder if there are any memoirs from British naval personnel telling how they saw this grim and ultimately pointless duty. That anti-Arab and anti-British terrorism perpetrated by Harel and others in Palestine and recalled here would certainly be a grounds for strong British defenses against Zionists.

[Niels Lodewijk]

How a tragic and shameful piece of UK history leads to existence of Israel. The story of Jossi Harel, his ships and all the 'illegal' immigrants. Good read.
Note: this ship is not the same 'Exodus' as in Uri's book.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible, action-packed story about illegal immigration to Palestine after WWII.

[Golan Schzukin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting semi biography on Jeseph Harel, and his part in the exsodos

[Michael Kerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook. Biographical treatment of the action-packed life of Yossi Harel who ran the British blockade following the Second World War to smuggle Jewish holocaust survivors out of Europe.