http://www.cyprus-mail.com/jewish-detention-camps/jewish-detention-camps-cyprus-remembered/20111026
The University of Cyprus is dueto host a hotly-anticipated lecture by Professor Emanuel Gutmann entitled, The Jewish Detention Camps in Cyprus (1946-1949): the Memories of a Contemporary Witness.
In the second half of the 1940s Cyprus become the temporary refuge for tens of thousands of Jews. These events have been well documented in Israeli history but relatively untold in the history of Cyprus. The camps played a role in both the independence movement of Cyprus and the creation of the state of Israel. In this light, the testimony of Prof Gutmann is of great interest in understanding the history of the detention camps.
Fleeing post-war Europe, survivors of the Holocaust found themselves barred from entering Palestine due to British quotas. Forced to immigrate illegally, they boarded ships and ventured into the Mediterranean unsure of their fate.
The British Navy overtook 39 of these ships, carrying a total of 52,000 passengers, and sent the people to Cyprus. On the island, the British government created a series of detention camps in order to prevent Jewish refugees from another attempt at entering Palestine. These detainees, the vast majority Holocaust survivors, endured deplorable conditions in Cyprus, some for a period of years. At its peak there were nine camps in Cyprus, located at two sites about 50km apart. They were Caraolos, north of Famagusta, and Dekhelia, outside of Larnaca.