The Children of Exodus

After the war, about 200,000 Jewish Holocaust survivors lived in Allied camps in Germany, unable to return home or stay in Germany. Many wanted to go to Palestine, but legal immigration was limited. Jewish organizations organized illegal immigration, including in Lübeck, where Benjamin Gruszka, known as “Bolek,” helped send refugees to Palestine. The ship Exodus, carrying 4,500 people, was seized by the British in June 1947 and returned the passengers to German camps, including Camp Pöppendorf in Lübeck. A filmmaker, inspired by photos of Jewish orphans in the camp, traveled to Israel to find them.