Escaping the Holocaust : illegal immigration to the land of Israel, 1939-1944 /

Ofer has made an important contribution to the understanding of the role of Aliyah Bet--the illegal Jewish immigration to Palestine before the State of Israel was established--and the Holocaust. This riveting book is written within the context of Zionist policy in the Yishuv (Palestine), Britain's motives in restricting Jewish immigration, and the changes in Nazi policy regarding the emigration of Jews in territories under the Reich's jurisdiction. Based on an exhaustive study of archival sources in Israel, England, and the US, Ofer's book inadvertently has added to the argument of those who contend that the destruction of European Jewry was not preplanned by the Nazis but came about after the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. The author documents the German government's eagerness to promote Jewish emigration prior to 1941: Nazis entered negotiations with the Zionist leadership in Palestine to encourage illegal Jewish immigration so as to clear Reich territory of its Jews. Should be read along with Dina Porat's The Blue and the Yellow Stars of David (CH, Mar'91). For undergraduate and graduate libraries. -J. Fischel, Millersville University