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On June 20, 1948, the ship Altalena arrived in Israel carrying 930 World War II refugees. Also on board, ammunition amassed by the Irgun in direct violation of Ben Gurion's new military chain-of-command. Nearly igniting a civil war in the newly-established country, Ben Gurion gave the order to fire the ship. “The mind-boggling fact,” writes the Jewish Forward, “of Jew firing on Jew and the power play between Begin and Ben-Gurion make this extraordinary documentary a must-see!"

Critical Acclaim

“Evocative…well researched…has a modern subtext.”
- Julie Gruenbaum Fax, The Jewish Week (18 Nov. 1994)

“The riveting footage, emotion-wracked recollections by participants on both sides, the mind-boggling fact of Jew firing on Jew and the power play between Begin and Ben-Gurion make this extraordinary documentary a must-see!”
- Jewish Forward

External Links

Article from THE JEWISH ADVOCATE

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The National Center For Jewish Film Brandeis University, Lown 102, MS053, Waltham MA 02454 P: (781) 899 7044, F: (781) 736 2070

Altalena

Israel, 1994, 53 minutes, color/b&w
English and Hebrew with English subtitles
Directed by Ilana Tsur

$72 Institutional Use DVD
Call For Home Purchase Price

Public Exhibition Beta Rental also available