Page 122 - ISRAEL'S CRADLE

Ten of the fifteen fasters. First Row: Golda Meyerson, David Remez, Werner Senator, Yehudit Simhonit. Second Row: Yisrael Gurfinkel (Guri), Yitzhak Verfel (Rafael), Nahum Nir, Zalman Rubashov (Shazar). Third Row: Ya'akov Riftin, Zalman Aharonowitz (Aran)
morning, at six AM, ten immigrants would head to the gates of the port and commit suicide." Laski was appalled. "You must not permit them to walk to their deaths!"
"Who said I would not be one of those ten?“ replied Arazi in a question that stunned Laski. He promised Arazi to deliver the immigrants’ demands to be approved for immediate Aliya to the Land of Israel. After 84 hours, and with Laski’s promise that he would do all in his power to influence the government in London, the hunger strike in La Spezia ended. It was a partial victory. Much was accomplished, but not enough.
On Sunday, April 14, all Jews in the Land of Israel went on strike in solidarity with the immigrants in La Spezia and the hunger strikers in Jerusalem. It was a general strike: Work places were on strike, trade had struck until 1:00 PM, as did the public transportation in the cities. The intercity public transportation did not go on strike except for half an hour, between 10:00 and 10:30 AM, when all the Jews׳ cars ceased moving. There was an atmosphere of solidarity everywhere.
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