Haapalah / Aliyah Bet

SS Parita פאריטה was a 300-ton iron steamer.
Built: 1881
Ursula Büttner cites: SS Parita was 40 year old cattle boat, built in 1899.
Registered name: Ex- Bute, Ex- City of Cork, Ex- Merrannio
She was named for the well-preserved Spanish colonial town, founded in 1556 as Santa Elena, in provincia de Herrera of Panama.

Rafael Medoff cites: "Ben-Horin crisscrossed Europe between 1937 and 1939 on behalf of the Irgun's effort to bring unauthorized Jewish immigrants to Palestine. He played the key role in facilitating the dramatic voyage of SS Patria, which brought eight hundred half-starved immigrants to Palestine after a harrowing eight-week journey in the summer of 1939."
Correction: The voyage Rafael Medoff refers to is that of SS Parita.

Jürgen Rohwer cites: Eri Jabotinsky, along with Abraham Stavsky chartered SS Parita Bute from her Greek shipowner, Minakoulis.
SS Parita Bute was in Marseille, and they sent her to Sète to be converted to carry Maapilim.

On July 13, 1939, SS Parita פאריטה sailed from Constanţa Galatz, organized by Betar and Revisionists. carrying 850 passengers, 540 of them, Betar members from Poland and Romania.
Zionism-Israel.com cites SS Parita פאריטה carried 856 passengers.
Maurice Tiefenbrunner cites he boarded SS Parita פאריטה at Marseille, and 950 passengers boarded in Romania.
Michael Zalampas cites SS Parita פאריטה carried 875 passenger.
Rafael Medoff cites SS Parita פאריטה "brought 600 half-starved immigrants to Palestine after an eight-week journey."
Martin Sugarman cites: SS Parita carried "950 Jewish refugees on a vessel meant to carry 250!"
Paul H. Silverstone's Aliyah Bet Project cites: on June 26, 1939, Bute sailed from Sète, carrying 80, and was renamed Parita; she arrived at Constanţa, and on July 13, 1939, Parita sailed from Constanţa , carrying 850 passengers, including 540 Betar members.
Jürgen Rohwer cites: Menachem Begin and Mordekai Katz organized the transportion for 400 Betarim and 200 Maapilim from Warszawa, in a sealed train to Constanţa. ; in addition, another 120 Maapilim from Romania, so that SS Parita פאריטה carried 800 passengers (including the 80 passengers who boarded in Marseille).

On August 8, 1939, after some damage, SS Parita פאריטה was forced to dock at Izmir.
Passengers screamed: "Kill us if you like, but please do not return from whence we come", but SS Parita פאריטה was expelled from Izmir Smyrna by two Turkish Maritime police boats.
In August, 1938, Turkey Türkiye passed Decree No. 2 / 9498, which stipulated: "The Jews, whatever their religion today are under pressure regarding their rights of residence and travel in the countries they are citizens are now prohibited entry and residence in Turkey. "
The next day, the Turkish daily, Ulus, headline one: "These good for nothing Jews left Izmir."

SS Parita פאריטה arrived off Cyprus Κύπρος, but the rendezvous ship was not there.
She turned back, running out of food, water and coal.
In Turkey Türkiye, passengers aboard the cruise ship, Marco Polo, collected money to help the refugees.
Maurice 'Monju' Tiefenbrunner cites: "We were to meet 4 small sailing boats in the vicinity of Cyprus. Here we would transfer to them and be taken to our destination. We arrived at the appointed "meeting place" and waited in vain. No boats arrived. Meanwhile our supply of anything edible ran out, and we were compelled to call at some small ports to buy or beg for food. We shuttled between Smyrna, Rhodes and other ports in the area, always returning to our expected meeting place, but all in vain - the sailing boats never came."

On August 9 ,1939, SS Parita פאריטה was at Izmir Smyrna with her engines disabled and without provisions.
Turkish authorities quarantined SS Parita פאריטה, because conditions on board were terrible.
Tuvia Peretz cites: "From the police launch we received word that supplies would be provided to the Prita if we were to leave Alexandria within one hour. Our reply was silence. We knew we could not obey and that we would have to stay. At the end of an hour, a warship came alongside and blared out, “You have two hours to leave. If you don't we will blow you away.” Despite the threat, we were totally unified behind Commander Irving. We were determined to stay. We did not believe their threats and were convinced we would ultimately receive supplies."
The passengers ordered the Captain to sail for Palestine.
Maurice 'Monju' Tiefenbrunner cites: "We organised a group of about 100, who were prepared to take command of the ship and attempt to reach our destination. With this in mind, we negotiated with the officers and crew to help us, and instruct us how to run the ship. For payment, most of them agreed. All but the captain and three officers were prepared to help us. Most of the crew were Greek, and their main concern was to get back home in good health!"
"Having received the acceptance of most of them, we then locked up the few senior officers together with the organisers of the transport who, for financial reasons, were not willing to sacrifice the ship. However, we were concerned with the lives and health of 850 people who all wanted to go to Palestine in the shortest time. So some of us went to work to learn the basics of running the ship. After a few more days of training we released the officers and organisers, and together with the crew put them into lifeboats, which they rowed towards a quiet spot on the Palestinian coast."

On August 22. 1939, SS Parita פאריטה reached Tel Aviv תל אביב, after a forty-day journey.
Maurice 'Monju' Tiefenbrunner cites: The journey aboard SS Parita פאריטה taking 70 days rather than 10 days.
Under cover of darkness, SS Parita פאריטה was anchored some fifty meters from shore.
Tuvia Peretz cites: "With great willpower we reached the Tel Aviv beach. We wrecked the machinery according to orders. At sunrise, the hulk of the ship was lilting in the surf with engines silent. We signaled to the beach for help but some of us could not wait and leaped into the water, starting to swim to the shore of the Holy Land. The two foreign officers were in this group. They had forged a warm bond with the Jewish people and to this day their home is in Israel. But most of us stayed aboard the wrecked ship. We five Ciechanowiec boys were still together. Whatever fate had in store for us, we wanted to face it as one. This proved to be our last night at sea. English patrol boats surrounded us and boarded the ship. They began negotiations with us and even provided us with fresh bread."
Zionism-Israel.com cites: "On August 22 the Betar (revisionist) ship "Parita" with 856 passengers arrived and successfully disembarked many of its passengers."
Etzel.org.il cites: SS Parita פאריטה "reached Tel Aviv on August 22 after a forty day journey along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. Under cover of darkness, it anchored some fifty meters from shore. Thousands thronged the beach and helped bring the immigrants to shore in small boats."
Yehuda Lapidot cites: "On Tel Aviv beach in the summer of 1939, we were greeted by the unusual sight of a ship, some 100 meters from the shore, which had hit a sand shoal and was listing on its side. The 'Parita' had brought 850 immigrants to Palestine (mostly Betar members from Poland and Rumania), who had disembarked and were now scattered throughout Tel Aviv. We swam out to the ship and clambered on deck with the help of ropes. It was a thrilling experience for me to see a ship from close up and even to go on board and explore it."
Monty Noam Penkower cites: "The over 700 aliya bet travellers who had left Romania to be crammed for six weeks aboard the Parita, a rusty 1,300-ton steamer which beached off the central Tel Aviv shore just after midnight on 23 August, were released from detention."

On August 23, 1939, the crew was allowed to leave, and SS Parita פאריטה was run onto the beach at Tel Aviv תל אביב.
Maurice 'Monju' Tiefenbrunner cites: "Before actually landing, we had smashed all the engines with sledgehammers, so that there was no way the British could refloat the ship, which we knew they would try. Finally they gave up the attempt and ordered everyone to take their belongings, of which there were precious few, and took us ashore into the courtyard of the "Dan" Hotel."
Hundreds of people came down to the beach and helped bring the passengers to shore in small boats, and provided clothing and food.
Thousands gathered in the streets of Tel Aviv תל אביב, to cheer the passengers as they headed for internment at Atlit Detention Camp מחנה המעצר בעתלית.
Zionism-Israel cites many of the passengers of SS Parita פאריטה disembarked successfully.
Time Magazine, Monday, Sept. 04, 1939, cites: "Police and troops in Tel Aviv were amazed last week to see the S.S. Parita steam in from sea heading straight for the sandy beach instead of her wharf. She ran aground, stuck fast, and over her railings into the water swarmed 125 Jewish refugees, bundles & all, squealing and gurgling to set foot on their Promised Land. Police herded them, and 750 more still on board, into a concentration camp. They came from Germany and Czechoslovakia, said they had been sailing without a captain for eleven weeks."
Maurice 'Monju' Tiefenbrunner cites: SS Parita פאריטה passengers were interned by the British at Sarafand סרפנד Army camp.
"The British authorities had organised transport and we were taken to Sarafand, (Z'rifin), a military camp, where we were interned. After registration we were given some emergency clothing, had medical checks and some proper food!"