Tel Aviv event marks 80 years since Cyprus detention camps opened
Former detainees and descendants gathered in Tel Aviv to commemorate 80 years since British detention camps for Jewish refugees opened in Cyprus.
Tel Aviv, Israel. A gathering has marked 80 years since the opening of British detention camps in Cyprus for Jewish refugees, bringing together former camp residents and descendants of those detained there.
The event, organised by Cyprus Ma’apilim and Palmach House, included music, personal accounts and an exhibition of photographs and historical objects from the camps.
Commemoration and testimonies
People born in the camps attended alongside descendants of Jewish refugees who grew up hearing their parents’ accounts of their time in Cyprus.
Cyprus’ ambassador to Israel, Kornelios Korneliou, addressed the event and praised the organisers’ work in preserving the history and testimonies of those who passed through the camps. He was also recognised for the Cypriot embassy’s contribution to that work.
Christakis Papavasiliou spoke about his father, Prodromos Papavasiliou, a Cypriot humanitarian who helped thousands of Jewish refugees during the period.
Exhibition and historical background
The exhibition of photographs and historical objects from the camps will remain open for one year.
Britain established the camps in Cyprus in August 1946 to detain Jewish refugees attempting to reach Mandatory Palestine in breach of British immigration restrictions. Twelve camps operated until 1949 and held more than 53,000 people in total.
Most detainees were Holocaust survivors, many of whom had travelled from refugee camps in Europe after the defeat of Nazi Germany.
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