Haapalah / Aliyah Bet

Aryeh Tokchirov Chaikind completed his elementary education in Kiryat Chaim, at age 12 years, and was in the first graduating class of the school.

In 1940, on his 18th birthday, Aryeh Chaikind joined the 544th Company of the Royal Engineers and went to train in Egypt.

After seeing the remnants of the Holocaust in Italy, Aryeh Chaikind wrote home: “I have not written about the refugees until now. Tremendous efforts are being made to help them and I am trying to do my little bit and it would be betrayal to leave them now and go back to my own private affairs."

In August, 1945, Dalin דלין was prepared for departure in Monopoli, by the crew, including Arieh Chaikind, Yisrael Chovav and Jewish soldiers from Transportation Unit 468 of the British Army.

On August 21, 1945, Dalin דלין sailed from Bari, carrying 35 passengers.
Palmach Information Center cites Dalin דלין sailed from Monopoli, carrying 37 immigrants.
Eric Salerno cites Dalin דלין was the illegal immigration first ship to sail from Italy.
Enrico Levy cites Dalin דלין carried 37 passengers.
Achille Rastelli cites: "Dalin era partita da Bari il 21 agosto 1945 con 35 persone a bordo, ma non si conosce l’origine di questa unità."
Israel Chorev ישראל חורב served as Palyam פלי"ם Commander מפקד aboard Dalin דלין
Enrico Levi אנריקו לוי served as Captain רב-חובל of Dalin דלין
Aryeh Chaikind אריה חייקינד served as Gidoni גידעוני aboard Dalin דלין
The crew of Dalin דלין consisted of an Italian mechanic and two Italian sailors.

Aryeh Chaikind served as Gidoni גדעוני, wireless radio operator aboard Dalin דלין.

On August 28, 1945, Dalin דלין landed at Sdot Yam שדות ים - Caesarea קיסריה, without being discovered by the British.
Tzvi 'Miri' Katzneson cites "On the 29th of that month the ship “Dalin” arrived from Italy with 37 immigrants on board."
Two fishing boats went out to meet Dalin דלין, the first post-war illegal immigrant vessel.
Enrico Levi cites: "On 28 August the Ma’apilim descended on the shore at Caesarea."
Palmach Information Center cites Dalin דלין's passengers were unloaded by five Palyam boats, dispersed and hidden at nearby settlements.
On September 2, 1945, after two days of searching, a kibbutz fishing boat brought ashore 35 passengers.
Palyamniks helped the Maapilim ashore:
* Shmuel 'Samek' Yanai
Tzvi 'Miri' Katznelson cites; "After the immigrants had landed we loaded barrels of diesel fuel on board and she sailed back to Bari."
Dalin דלין's sailed back to Bari carrying:
* Peter Hoffman
* Tzvi 'Miri' Katznelson
* Moshe Rabinowitz
* Avraham Reiss
* Yisrael Rotem
* Eliezer Versh

On March 4, 1947, Shabtai Lozinsk yשבתאי לוז'ינסקי sailed from Metaponto, carrying 700 passengers.
Palyam.org cites Shabtai Lozinsky שבתאי לוז'ינסקי carried 650 passengers.
Palmach Information Center cites: "Shabtay Luzinsky sailed from Metaponto port in Italy on March 4th 1947, with 650 immigrants on board."
Achille Rastelli cites: "Il 4 marzo 1947 da Metaponto si dirigeva verso la Terra Promessa il Susanna (poi Shabtai Lozinsky) con 823 passeggeri."

Aryeh Chaikind served as Gidoni גדעוני, wireless radio operator aboard Shabtai Lozinsky שבתאי לוז'ינסקי.

Bezalel Drori and Yehosha 'Ossi' Ravid served as Palyam Escorts aboard Shabtai Lozinski שבתאי לוז'ינסקי.

Avraham Rickman Karni served aboard aboard Shabtai Lozinsky שבתאי לוז'ינסקי.
Avraham Rickman Karni cites: "I was chosen to sail all the way to Israel with the Olim on the ship “Susanna”, which we called the “Shoshana”.
"After we had begun the voyage there were a number of mishaps, but we finally reached Metaponto. There, with the help of fishermen and Palmachniks, we loaded 650 Olim onto the ship during the night and at daybreak were ready to sail."

David Maimon served as Palyam Commander aboard Shabtai Lozinsky שבתאי לוז'ינסקי.

Having helped the Palyamniks prepare the boat in Portovenere, Avrum Shavit sailed aboard Shabtai Lozinsky, to Metaponte, to take on the 700 Maaplim.

On March 4, 1947, Yehiel and Esther Hershkowitz sailed on Shabtai Lozinsky שבתאי לוז'ינסקי from Metaponto to Nitzanim ניצנים.

On March 4, 1947, Abraham and Baruch Kasher sailed on Shabtai Lozinsky שבתאי לוז'ינסקי, from Metaponto to Nitzanim ניצנים.

Shabtai Lozinsky שבתאי לוז'ינסקי put into the Bay of Taranto, to wait out a terrific storm.
While sheltering from the storm, a serious leak was discovered, so she returned to Metaponto, where the passengers disembarked, and the boat was brought to Porto Venere for repairs.
Avrum Shavit cites: "A terrific storm arose and we had to put into the bay of Taranto and wait out the storm. While waiting, we discovered that the ship was leaking water seriously. We could not repair the leak so it was decided to return to Metaponte. The olim left the ship which moved to Portovenera for repairs."
Avraham Rickman Karni cites: "we were in the area of Crete. A storm broke out and we were forced to seek shelter in a small bay. A day went by, and the following day we again set sail in a northerly direction. As we approached the island of Rhodes we met the “Albertina”. She transferred her 160 Olim to our ship and the Italian crew went over to her; that is, all but the captain who refused to leave the ship, with so many people aboard. The ship headed south, as if to Egypt, trying to mislead the British Navy."
After ten days, Haim Arlosoroff חיים ארלוזורוב arrived from Sweden, and all of the passengers from Shabtai Lozinsky שבתאי לוז'ינסקי werei transferred to Haim Arlosoroff חיים ארלוזורוב to continue their journey to Palestine.
Sztetl.org.pl cites: Shabtai Lozinsky שבתאי לוז'ינסקי "sailed from Matapunto to the Turkish coast through the North of Rhodes to Port Said in Egypt and from there north along the coast at Gaza and Ashkelon in order to avoid the British that guarded more strictly near Jafa, Tel Aviv and Haifa ports."

On March 13, 1947, Shabtai Lozinsky שבתאי לוז'ינסקי went aground in the sand about 120 meters from the shore near Nitzanim ניצנים.
Sztetl.org.pl cites: "After 8 days of sailing, in the dawn of March 12, 1947 the ship dropped anchor 200 meters before Nizanim beach. But the sea was very stormy and it tried to come closer to the beach but it touched the ground and the Ma`apilim were told to jump to the sea and swim to the beach. Abraham and Baruch jumped and started swimming."
"The Palmach organized people from the nearest settlements like Kibbutz Nizanim and Gedera to come and mix with the Ma`apilim so the British couldn’t find them."
USHMM cites: Shabtai Lozinsky שבתאי לוז'ינסקי landed in Ashdod אשדוד, on March 12, 1947.
Avraham Rickman Karni cites: "At night she veered sharply north and made for the shore near Nitzanim. It was early in the morning of the 12th of March, 1947. The waves were so high that the boats on shore could not get to us. It was decided to raise anchor and come into shore and beach the vessel. The Italian captain did not like this decision because of damage that the vessel might suffer, but he accepted it. The ship went in and was stranded about 50 meters offshore. We strung a cable from ship to shore to facilitate unloading the Olim. There were Palmachniks on shore and others in the area, to help as well."
Palyam פלי”ם members waded out to the ship and stretched a rope from ship to shore.
They filled rubber boats with Maapilim and pull the boats to shore.
Some Maapilim jumped into the water and they brought them to the ropes so that they could pull themselves along to the shore.
Local residents from nearby settlements were recruiteed pick up the Maapilim and take them to their settlements and to places inland.
The Maapilim came ashore and mingled with hundreds of local residents who came to their rescue so that the authorities could not distinguish between them.
British destroyers appeared and sent launches with sailors to round up the Maapilim, but the launches flipped over and several of the sailors drowned, while some swam to shore.
Avraham Rickman Karni cites: "A ship of the British Navy discovered us but could not approach us. It came as close as it could, and contacted British ground forces which sealed off the area. Most of the new Olim were successfully moved from the area to surrounding
kibbutzim. A fire was lit on the shore and everyone there threw his ID card into it so that the British found it difficult to identify Israelis from Olim."
Most of the Maapilim and members of settlements were taken by the British Army to its camp at Ashdod אשדוד; the Maapilim were taken by truck to Haifa חיפה, and loaded onto the deportation ships, but most refused to go and offered passive resistance, so each one had to be carried unto the deportation ship.

From April 26, 1948 to May 2, 1948, Palmach פלמ"ח forces fought for control of the Greek Orthodox St. Simon Απόστολου Σίμωνα monastery, on a strategic hilltop with a commanding view, in Katamon קטמון‎, which was an Arab salient between two besieged Jewish neighborhoods.
On April, 28, 1948 there was the fierce battle, and the bullet and shell marks from the battle can still be seen on the walls of the building.

On April 27, 1948, after 40 Palmach פלמ"ח fighters were killed in the unsuccessful battle for Nebi Samuel نبي صموئيل‎ נבי סמואל, the survivors marched walked from what is today, Beit Hanassi בית הנשיא‎, to the Valley of the Cross עמק המצלבה‎, and from there to the St. Simon Απόστολου Σίμωνα Monastery, from which Iraqi troops controlled southern Jerusalem.
The Iraqi soldiers had just left the monastery and were marching toward the Valley of the Cross עמק המצלבה‎ in a parallel line to the Palmach פלמ"ח fighters, and the two groups met, initiating fierce fighting, until the Palmach פלמ"ח troops retreated.

On April 28, 1948, during the battle for the Greek Orthodox St. Simon Απόστολου Σίμωνα Monastery, in Katamon קטמון‎, Rafael 'Raful' Eitan, a platoon commander, was shot in the head, but when one of the commanders walked through rooms filled with injured soldiers looking for soldiers still able to fight, he volunteered.
Rafael 'Raful' Eitan cites: "I was shot in the head. Half an hour later it passed."

On April 29, 1948, after capturing the St. Simon Απόστολου Σίμωνα Monastery, there were a few hours of quiet, but the Arabs counterattacked with reinforcements and heavy weapons.
The situation became desperate, as the. Arab forces had a cannon aimed along a little lane leading to the monastery, so that anyone trying to get in or out could easily be shot; and snipers fired steadily from a house with green shutters.

On Aril 29, 1948, the Palmach פלמ"ח fighters returned; one group headed for two houses, including today’s St. Simon Απόστολου Σίμωνα Hostel, and the second group crawled toward the monastery, filled with well-equipped Iraqi troops.
Fighting their way from room to room, the Palmach פלמ"ח drove out the Arabs.

By April 30, 1948, Palmach פלמ"ח troops defending the St. Simon Απόστολου Σίμωνα Monastary had run out of ammunition, morphine and bandages; reinforcements hadn’t arrived, and of 140 men, only 20 survived and were able to fight.
The Palmach פלמ"ח fighters were ordered to retreat — but there weren’t enough of them to carry the wounded, even if the soldiers who had fallen were left behind, and the radio was out of operation, so they couldn't communicate with headquarters.
Everyone who couldn’t walk was pmoved into one room, on top of a layer of explosives, and 2 Palmach פלמ"ח fighter volunteered to stay behind to blow up the monastery, along with everyone inside, when the Arabs broke through.
In the meantime, a Haganah הגנה intelligence officer intercepted a message from the Arabs in Katamon telling of their exhaustion, and intention to retreat, but the Haganah הגנה had no way of informing the Palmach פלמ"ח troops in the St. Simon Απόστολου Σίμωνα Monastery, until suddenly the Palmach פלמ"ח radio sprang to life, and the message was received, the Arabs left and the Palmach פלמ"ח remained.

On May 1, 1948, Aryeh Chaikind, age 25 years. hit by a shell and was fatally wounded, during the the battle for Katamon קטמון‎.