On February 23, 1942, an explosion was heard in the Black Sea. The Struma sank terribly into the bottom of the ocean.
During WWII, many Jews of Europe were being tormented by the brutal actions of the Nazis. They were being crowded into ghettos that lacked food and sanitation. Others got deported to horrible camps. There, they had to work to death or they were immediate killed. And that wasn't all.
After Hitler came to power and invaded European nations, several people planned to migrate to other countries. Ships were built to carry Jews to these locations. Some people made it, but most didn't. Countless number of ships got sent back to their countries, and the Nazis took over from there. The story of the Struma, however, was rather different from a lot of these stories.
It was December 12, 1941. A Greek boat was found leaving the coast of Constanta, Romania. The ship was the Struma. With 769 passengers on board, the Struma was set for Palestine. But first, the ship has make a quick stop at Istanbul, Turkey to pick up immigration certificates.
When the passengers boarded the Struma, they found it to be an old, small boat used to carry cattle. The environment was also dreadful. There was only one bathroom for all 769 people! Seeing as they put all their money into this trip, the Jews hoped that it would be worth everything.
The boat reached Istanbul in only three days. Unfortunately, the engine broke down when they boarded. If that wasn't bad enough, the Turkish government wouldn't let the immigrants into their land. They fear that the British (who was in charge of Palestine at that time) would not give them the immigration certificates. Therefore, Turkey would have to let the Jews into its country. While waiting for the those papers, the Struma stayed in Istanbul for 70 days.
The British were afraid that if they allow one boat into Palestine, others would follow. In order to keep the immigrants out, they made up excuses - there were enemy spies among the passengers. Britain was debating over what to do with the ship. A few people volunteered to set up refuge camps in Turkey. Sadly, the Turkish government was determined that no refugees were allow to get off in their land. One woman, however, was allow to land. That was because she had been pregnant for quite a few months.
Turkey demanded that if no decisions were made by February 16, 1942, the Struma would be sent off to the Black Sea.
Sorry to say, by that time, no judgment was made. The Turkish decided to wait a few more days. At nighttime on February 23, 1942, the Turkish police embarked the tiny boat. They announced that the Struma was to be sent out of Turkish water. The passengers were shocked. They pleaded and begged, but nothing helped.
The boat was sent roughly six miles from the Turkish coast and left there. The engine was still not working and the Struma had no food, fresh water, or energy.
A few hours after that, the boat suddenly exploded. Most people believed it was torpedo from the Soviet Union (now Russia) that struck and sank it. The next morning, rescue boats went out. They found only one survivor. His name was David Stoliar. The other 767 passengers perished into the Black Sea.
The story of the boat Struma had been a story of fear and isolation. The Jewish people went on this trip because they wanted to escaped the terror of the Nazis. Instead, death hit them. And all because the world was afraid to let refugees in.
Hizgrl
Author's Note: Sources:
http://history1900s.about.com/od/holocaust/a/struma.htm
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/struma.html
