Immigrant transit camp photographs, 1949-1970.

Format:

Other

Language:

Dutch

English

Hebrew

Subjects (All):

Kluger, Zoltan, 1896-1977.

Kluger, Zoltan.

Emigration and immigration.

Jewish refugees.

Jews.

Jews--Israel.

Photography.

Photographs.

Refugee camps.

Refugees.

Genre:

black-and-white photographs.

photographs.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Kedem Auction House Ltd. (Lot 123), 2020.

Physical Description:

1 box (0.25 linear foot)

Place of Publication:

1949-1970.

Language Note:

The majority of the collection is in Hebrew, though some captions are in English and Dutch

Biography/History:

According to Devorah Hakohen in her book, Immigrants in turmoil : mass immigration toIsrael and its repercussions in the 1950s and after, the original immigrant camps were meantto be "…way stations where masses of immigrants could be registered and classified. Aftera period of vocational training, they would be referred to permanent housing and jobs. Thenewcomers were to stay at these facilities for only a few weeks" (129). Instead, there was sucha large influx of immigrants from Europe after the Holocaust and from Arab countries that thecamps became overwhelmed. As a result, Israel built tent encampments outside major citieswhich became known as ma'abarot. Ma'abarot are defined as: "makeshift housing until their- Page 3-Immigrant transit camp photographs, 1949-1970 PUSp.Ms. Coll. 1745permanent accommodations were ready, and they would support their own families" (Hakohen150). As depicted in this collection, ma'abarot consisted of schools, hospitals, farms and otherplaces to work, so that, eventually, immigrants could move out of the camps and find work ina major city.Operation Magic Carpet, or Al Kanfei Nesharim, allowed almost fifty thousand Yemenite Jewsto immigrate to Israel between 1948 and 1950 (Hakohen 63). In addition to Yemenite Jews,Jewish people from Eritrea and Djibouti immigrated to Israel through this operation (69).

Summary:

The Immigrant transit camp photographs consist of 111 photographs depicting life in transit camps across Israel and the immigration of Yemeni Jews to Israel through Operation Magic Carpet, from 1949 to 1970. The photographs were originally housed in a three-ringed binder, but, because of conservation concerns, the photographs were taken out of the binder and stored in an archival grade box in their original order. Almost all of the photographs contain captions in Hebrew, either written by hand on the back of the photograph, on the background paper, or typed as a caption for a newspaper. The photographers of these pictures include: Edgar L. Eichhorn, Ephraim F. Ilani, Keren Hayesod, K. Triest, Hans H. Pinn, Yehuda Eisenstark, Assaf Kuttin, Thomas D. W. Friedmann, N. Ben Noam, Shimon Rapaport, and Zoltán Kluger. Cities and towns in Israel where these transit camps were located or where the photographs were taken include: Haifa, Tiberias, Pardes Ḥanah, Elyakim, Jerusalem, Ksalon, Islin, Lydda, Ḳiryat Motsḳin, Jaffa, Beʼer Yaʻaḳov, Yeroham, Petaḥ Tiḳṿah, Rosh ha-ʻAyin, and Ḳiryat Shemonah. These photographs are divided by the creator into five sections. The first group contains 28 photographs titled “New immigrants in Israel” or “עולים חדשים בישראל.” These photographs depict newly constructed buildings and tents for immigrants, Yemenite Jews on a plane through Operation Magic Carpet, immigrants at absorption centers, and immigrants learning how to read and write in Hebrew. This section also includes two postcards advertising the work of the Joint Distribution Committee in Jerusalem and Lydda for people with disabilities in MALBEN (Organization for the Care of Handicapped Immigrants) programs and old age homes.The second section contains 25 photographs of life in transit camps by photographer Ephraim F. Ilani. Almost all of the photographs have captions in Hebrew and some in English, along with Ilani’s photographer stamp. Someone notes on the back of photographs that the immigrants depicted are from Yemen, Bulgaria and Turkey. These photographs depict camp infrastructure, daily life for the immigrants, as well as a picture of immigrants at the Migration Department Passport Control office. The third section contains 19 photographs published in the <emph>Maariv</emph> newspaper. These photographs depict scenes in Haifa and life in the transit camps, including camp schools and farming practices. The fourth section contains 24 photographs of mostly Yemenite immigrants to Israel in the 1950s. The photographs mostly depict children in the camp schools or on field trips.The fifth section contains fifteen photographs by Zoltán Kluger, sometimes for Keren Hayesod, of newly arrived immigrants. These immigrants are from India, Kurdistan, Persia (Iran), Tunisia and Yemen. The photographs depict immigrants in Hebrew class, during Shabbat, attending workshops, and at work weaving, and in factories and at construction sites for Ashot Ashkelon.