Running the Palestine Blockade: The Last Voyage of the Paducah

by Rudolph W. Patzert

As much a tale of moral courage and political intrigue as a swiftly-moving sea adventure, this account by the captain of the Paducah, which ran refugee European Jews into British-protected Palestine before Israeli independence, covers the ship's six-month voyage, beginning in May, 1947. Patzert, his crew and the already-weakened exiles endured constant surveillance, uncharted mines, sabotage attempts, and capture during their final run into Palestine, followed by the brutal conditions of internment camp in Cyprus. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

223 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Erik Graff]

This is the story of one boat which, with thousands of Jewish survivors of the war, attempted, and failed, to penetrate the British blockade of Palestine after the second world war. It is written by its captain, a gentile like many of his crew, few of whom received any pay for their generous heroism. Beginning in New York, the story travels to the Azores, to Portugal, to France, to Bulgaria, to Palestine, to a British concentration camp in Cyprus, and, finally, back to Palestine.

[Lynn Roy bryden]

Heartbreaking and humorous, the account of this voyage is little known. It would make a great movie!

[Roy]

This is a book about misery of the worst kind . It is not surprising what people can and will do to other people , it has happened over and over again and is still happening now . Will people ever learn to live side by side and show respect for the other person ????? Hopefully they might some day soon .

[Mindy]

Loved this book. Heroic tale told in a matter of fact way.