Zionists to Get Sailor's Tale of Cyprus Escape

As the steamer Northland churns its way towards the Holy Land today with its load of unwanted Jewish refugees, Arthur Bernstein, the man who trained its officers, will be some 5000 miles away in Hillel House giving the Harvard Zionist Society a picture of the blockade running business. His talk is set for 8 o'clock tonight.

Bernstein got his own training seven moths ago, amid tear gas and fire hoses, as first mate of the Chain Arlossoroff.

On February 27 of this year the Arlessoroff, with 1360 refugees aboard, was reported in British custody some 15 miles north of Tel Aviv. Its destroyer escort was trying to maneuver the refugee ship toward Cyprus and way from the task of transferring the truculent Jews from the Arlossoroff to a special transport for the Cyprus trip.

Beach Near Haifa

Under cover of darkness, the Haganah captain escaped the British and raced for the Palestine shore. The Arlossoroff beached in the little town of Bat Galim, near Haifa, and prepared to resist British boarding parties.

Bernstein took part in the wild battle in which 30 Jews and 11 British seamen were injured as the enraged refugees threw the initial boarding party over the side. A second wave overpowered the passengers and crew with fire hoses, clubs, and tear gas.

To avoid imprisonment, Bernstein posed as an immigrant, "lost" his identification papers, and found himself in a Cyprus detention camp. He escaped by a means that must remain a secret.