New life in Our Ancient Land Life
W e arrived in Haifa on April 27, 1946 when I was almost eigh- teen years old. We were legal immigrants and were treated well at every turn. Israeli buses with Israeli drivers, displaying big smiles on their faces, were waiting to take us to a nearby absorption camp called Atlit, where immigrants and refugees were processed. We were assigned a tent and again underwent medical examina- tions. Our paperwork was filled out, and our pictures were taken. During the week or so we were there, we were treated well, fed wonderfully and eventually given our identification cards. The var - ious groups from the boat were assigned to different destinations, with the Jewish Agency or Va’ad Leumi making the arrangements. When it was time to leave, the Hungarian group of forty or fifty children was sent to a kibbutz called Naan. Our group of about forty, the original thirty-two plus eight who joined us in transit, was sent to Yagur, a prominent kibbutz near Haifa with about 1,200 members. From that point on, our lives changed completely. Just knowing that we were in Israel and riding a bus through Haifa was one of the peak experiences of my life. The weather was perfect — the sun shone brighter, the sky was bluer — and the atmosphere was festive. We were finally home. When we arrived at Kibbutz Yagur, at the foot of Mount Carmel, everyone stopped work and came out to welcome us. I cried — I feel like crying now, just thinking about it. There was great excitement. People lined up on both sides of the long driveway, and cheered as we drove by. The dining room was decorated with flags and filled with wonderful food. We were treat -
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