The Exodus Crew
When the President Warfield left Baltimore for Europe, its crew was mostly composed of Jewish volunteers with US military experience from WWII, as well as:
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Captain Ike – an Israeli from the Palyam (naval branch of the Haganah/Palmach),
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Reverend Stanley John Grauel – an American crew member and journalist, ( See Article - Click Here )
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a Jewish doctor from Scotland,
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two Mexican sailors,
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one from Egypt,
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an Israeli chief engineer,
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an engineer from Brazil,
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an engineer from Mexico
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(see table below).
In Europe more Israelis joined the crew:
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Yosi Harel Hamburger (Amnon) – ship’s commander,
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accompanied by Micha Perry (Gad), Tsvi Katzenelson (Miri), Sima Shmuckler, and the Gideons (radio officers) Azriel Einav (Uzi) and Max Cohen
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(in parentheses – their codenames).
Some of the foreign crew members left the President Warfield in France, under orders to transfer to other Clandestine Immigration ships to the Land of Israel. Others left the ship voluntarily to return from France to their homes. 25 foreign crew members underwent the full voyage – from Sète harbor to Haifa, then on the deportation ships to Hamburg, aiding the Exodus immigrants all along the arduous way to Hamburg.
from left to right are Reuben Margolis, Shmuel Schuller and Avraham Siegel, all from Mexico.
Pesach, April 1947 the crew of the Exodus on the way to Europe
According to the book “Exodus - the True Story” by Aviva Halamish:
Some of the American crew members remained in the Land of Israel. They hid, together with the Israeli accompanying troops, inside four hidden spaces prepared ahead of time inside the Exodus (in the bow ballast tank, in the stern behind the large refrigerator, in the lowest deck between the two sea doors, and under the stairs from the second to the third deck). Orders were that all American crew members and all Israeli accompanying troops (except Michael Perry) were to hide in these spaces in case the ship was stopped by the British and taken to Haifa. As mentioned above, 25 of the American crew did not obey these orders.
Crew members who stayed in the Land of Israel were:
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William Bernstein was killed in battle on the Exodus.
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Reverend John Grauel identified himself to the British and disembarked in Haifa harbor.
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5 of the crew hid as ordered in the hidden spaces, and exited the ship with the accompanying Israelis – the 5 were: Kort Baruch, Harold Leidner, Louis Selove, Roger Rofe and Avraham Sygal.
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Bill Millman was wounded in the battle and was taken to a hospital.
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Bernie Marks (who was presented to the British as the ship’s captain, to save “Ike” from discovery), Cy Weinstein and Stanley Ritzer were arrested by the British. They were released in September 1947 and returned by air to the USA.
Crew members on the President Warfield (on the voyage from Baltimore to Europe):
Country JOB Name
1) U.S. A
2) Israel
3) U.S. A
4) U.S.A
5) Scotland
6) U.S.A
7) Israel
8) U.S. A
9) U.S.A
10) U.S.A 11)
12) U.S.A
13) U.S.A
14) U.S.A
15) U.S.A
16) U.S.A
17) U.S.A
18) U.S.A
19) U.S.A
20) Mexico
21) U.S.A
22) U.S.A
23) U.S.A
24) U.S.A
25) U.S.A
26) U.S.A
27) U.S.A
28) Egypt
29) U.S.A
30) U.S.A
31) Mexico
32) U.S.A
33) U.S.A
34) U.S.A
35) U.S.A
36)
37) Mexico
38) U.S.A
39) U.S.A
40) U.S.A
Deck crew
Captain
Engineeroom crew
Second mate
Chief doctor on the Exodus
Deck crew
Third engineer
Deck crewon
Galley crew
Chief steward
Engineeroom crew
Deck crew
Radio operater
Second engineer
Purser-pharmacist
Deck crew
Galley crew
Electician
Deck crew
Chief mate
Galley crew
Deck crew
Engineeroom crew
Electician
Engineeroom crew
Deck crew
Deck crew
Deck crew
Deck crew
Deck crew
Galley crew
Engineeroom crew
Deck crew
Chief engineer
Engineeroom crew
Engineeroom crew
Deck crew
Third mate
Boatswain-carpenter
Aronoff Murray
Aronowitz Yitzhak- Ike
Beer Shmuel
Bernstein William- Bill
Cohen Dr. Josie
Foreman Ben
Garbesh Yaakov (Oron)
Goldsein Muron
REV. Grauel Stanley John
Johnson Jack
Kalm Eli
Kort Baruch
Levine Frank
Leidner Harold
Lester Sol
Lifshitz Avi (Livney)
Lowenthal David
Lutz Abbot
Molofsky Donald
Margolis Reuven
Marks Bernard
Millman David
Millman William- Bill
Miller Dov (Mills)
Nedler Nat
Naftel Al
Ritzer Stanley
Rofe Roger
Rosenfeld Teddy (Vardi)
Schuller Samuel
Schutman Samuel
Segal Zev (Vevie)
Selove Louis
Sklar Leonard
Stanczak Frank
Starec David (Kochavi)
Sygal Avraham
Weinsaft Harry
Weinstein Cyril
Weiss Mike
I
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Yosi Harel Hamburger (Amnon) – ship’s commander
Yosi Harel Hamburger (Amnon) – ship’s commander
Azriel Einav (Uzi) - radio officer
Cohen Dr. Josie Chief doctor
