(Inset) Mayer with his mother and brothers in Switzerland in 1944 as they escaped through the Swiss Alps.
Yitzchak Mayer’s mind when asked about the Atlit Illegal Immigrant Detention Center in Northern Israel.
see where we died. I want them to see where we fought to live. I want them to identify with our strength and our courage and the story of Atlit does that.”
“We had just left one hell,” said the 76-year-old Holocaust survivor, who emerged from WWII with his mother and two younger brothers and has made Israel his home since late 1945, “and we were immediately thrown into another hell. Atlit personifies the madness of the world. The British soldiers who fought with us against the Nazis were now the very same who imprisoned us! Crazy!
JNF, in partnership with the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites (SPIHS), has helped transform the former detention camp into an educational heritage site that tells the story of the Jewish people’s determination and struggle to enter the country. Thanks to Sy Israel, an Orlando-area businessman, a restored boat like the ones used to carry the Holocaust survivors and illegal immigrants was recently dedicated at Atlit.
“But at the same time Atlit represents our spiritual resistance,” he continued. “I find it the most romantic place on Earth because it tells the love story between the Jews and Israel. People risked their lives on severely overcrowded boats to get to Israel’s shores; if they didn’t have this profound love and desire for Eretz Yisrael, they would never have done so. And it is for that reason that it is so important that Atlit be kept up as a museum and heritage site. Our children must know this story. They must learn about the Holocaust, but I don’t want them to
Born in Belgium, Mayer survived the war along with his mother and siblings; his father was arrested by the Gestapo and died in Auschwitz. With the war’s end they had to make a choice: they could return to Belgium, go to Hungary (his mother’s birthplace) or go to Israel. “A man described Israel as a place with white houses where they speak Hebrew,” said Mayer. “I told my mom, it must be a magical place, we have to go. So we did.”
'Hell' and 'romance' are the two words that come to
HAT T D O IN “I F PLE WH’T PEO IT DON VIS LIEVE .” BE EYES IR THE
One of 4,000 on a boat that was built to fit hundreds, Mayer and the other passengers were arrested by the British who boarded the boat in Haifa. They were taken to Atlit, “and it was striking to see the same barbed wire, the same barracks, the same watchtower,” said Mayer, “but beyond them were palm trees.” After a few weeks in Atlit, Mayer and his family began their official lives in the Promised Land. A career in education was followed by ambassador appointments to several countries. Today, Mayer speaks regularly to groups at Atlit. “I find that people who visit don’t believe their eyes,” he said. “They see another era unfold in Israel’s history and it tells the love story of the Jewish people for their home -- a most important story to preserve.”
The Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites (SPIHS) was established to protect the irreplaceable historical buildings and heritage sites associated with Israel’s rebirth. JNF is raising funds for the over 250 sites in need of restoration. To learn more, visit www.jnf.org/heritagesites OR CALL YOUR LOCAL OFFICE AT 1-888-JNF-0099.