Final remarks

Summary

“Type B” immigration combined elements of Zionism with political struggle. Its most serious opponent was not a totalitarian regime, but a country with democratic traditions, Great Britain. In the beginning, no-one could have predicted the role Aliyah Bet was to play. There was no Jewish state, nor were there any formal structures such as an army, diplomacy, or a treasury to provide a measure of support, or any allies. The Zionists had just begun learning tactical warfare and how to overcome their difficulties. What turned out to be more important was something else - determination, and a sense of responsibility. After the conference at Evian in 1938 it became obvious that Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany could only rely on themselves. Conditions were extremely difficult, and the outbreak of war in 1939 made them even more complicated. Although many Aliyah Bet operations ended in failure, and several immigrant transports capsized, ha’apala gave diaspora Jews much-needed hope for a reversal of fortune. It was both an idea and a bridge between Jews in Europe and Yishuv, which simultaneously directed the attention of international opinion to the problem of Jewish refugees, decisively influencing the future of the Palestinian problem, though not until aft er the war.