Diary and Letter of Yosef Hirsch

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0683

Scope and Content

The collection consists of a diary and a letter authored by Yosef Hirsch, a Romanian-born Jewish immigrant detained at the Atlit detention camp in 1940. The diary begins January 29, 1940, shortly after Hirsch’s internment at Atlit following the interception of his immigrant ship by the British navy on January 14, 1940. It continues through his release on April 21, 1940, and subsequent life and work at Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk in the Western Galilee, with entries extending sporadically through 1942. The final section of the diary is written in Hebrew.

The accompanying letter, dated September 1945 and written in Hebrew, is a declaration requesting legal recognition of Hirsch’s status in Palestine. Together, the materials document the personal experiences of a Jewish refugee navigating detention, resettlement, and legal status under the restrictions of the British Mandate.

Dates

Creation: 1940 - 1945

Creator

Hirsch, Yosef, 1918- (Person)

Language of Materials

Includes materials written in Hungarian and Hebrew.

Access

The collection is open for research.

Biographical/Historical Note

Yosef Hirsch was born in Romania in 1918, likely near the Hungarian border. In 1939, he boarded an illegal immigrant ship bound for Palestine. After interception by the British navy, he was detained at Atlit camp from January to April 1940. Upon release, he joined Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk, where he remained during the early 1940s.

Atlit detention camp, located south of Haifa, was established by the British Mandate authorities in the late 1930s to detain Jewish refugees attempting to enter Palestine in violation of the 1939 White Paper immigration restrictions. Tens of thousands of Jewish immigrants, many fleeing Nazi-controlled Europe, were held there during the 1940s. The site later became a symbol of Ha’apala (clandestine Jewish immigration) and was declared a National Heritage Site in 1987.

Extent

.01 Linear Feet (1 Folder)

Additional Description

Abstract

Diary and a letter authored by Yosef Hirsch, a Romanian-born Jewish immigrant detained at the Atlit detention camp in 1940.

Location

University of Florida Smathers Library Building (Judaica Suite)

Acquisition Information

Purchased from Katz Fine Manuscripts.

Physical Description

1 diary (ca. 120 pp.; approx. 70 written), 1 letter; 4to; manuscript in Hungarian and Hebrew; bound in soft black leather (worn); paper with age discoloration at edges, generally legible despite some fading.