The detention camp was established at the end of the 1930’s, by the British Mandate authorities- during the time period when they had governed Palestine.

It is located some 20 kilometers south of the city of Haifa– in the North West par of Israel.

The camp had been established in order to prevent Jewish refugees, mainly those escaping World War II Europe (during and after the war) from coming to Israel.

Along the years it had been active, tens of thousands of Jewish immigrants were interned at the camp, which was surrounded by barbed wire and watchtowers.

Nowadays, the Atlit-Camp is a museum, telling the story of the Hewish people coming to Israel, mainly via Sea (but not only).

Atlit had also been declared a National Heritage Site in 1987.

Atlit 4 995

At the camp, men were separated form women, living in two different camps. 
In 1945, the “Palmach” (a special forces’-unit of the Jewish defense settlement in the land) had broken into the camp and released 200 detainees, who then escaped. As a result of this break-in the British authorities decided to deport illegal immigrants to a detention camp in Cyprus.
All camps had been eventually opened as of 1947, along with the establishment of the State of Israel.

Contact info:
Tel.: +972-4-9841980
Email: atlit@shimur.org.il
Directions: take route number 2 northbound (heading towards Haifa); Atlit will be on route, near Haifa.

About the Author

One of the online niche veterans; a Tech savvy professional; lives & breathes Web, globalization and people. In addition, Aaron is an avid traveler, mainly in the south of Israel; being well known as a desert expert.

Related Posts

This year, Independence Day will take place on Tuesday, May 2, 2017. It is Israel’s 69 years’...

The official date given by the United Nations in their partition vote for the creation of the new...

Yom Hazikaron is the name for Israel’s Memorial Day is an Israeli national holiday. This year, it...

Subscribe to our newsletter

GET WEEKLY UPDATES FROM OUR WEBSITE

Join 50,000 people. Get our weekly updates delivered to your inbox.