Immigrant camps (Israel)

The Immigrant camps in Israel (Hebrew: מחנות עולים plural‎ Mahanot Olim) were temporary refugee absorption camps, meant to provide accommodation for the large influx of Jewish refugees and new Olim (Jewish immigrants) arriving to Mandatory Palestine and later the independent State of Israel, since early 1947. The tent camps first accommodated Holocaust survivors from Europe, and later largely Jewish refugees from Middle East and North Africa. By early 1950, immigrant camps were converted into Transition Camps, where living conditions became better and tin dwellings replaced tents.

In early 1947, the Jewish Agency reached an agreement with the British authorities, according to which the Jewish immigrants would arrive in the Land of Israel on the basis of monthly or quarterly certificates, and remain under British arrest. It was agreed that upon being provided with an appropriate certificate by a donor, immigrants would be released from detention camps.

Through 1947 about 750 immigrants per month arrived in Mandatory Palestine in accordance with the agreement and were detained within Atlit detainee camp. Due to the harsh conditions in Atlit camp, many immigrants were transferred to Kiryat Shmuel Immigrant Camp in Haifa, which was also a detention camp under British jurisdiction. It was agreed that its guards would be Jewish policemen of the Mandatory police, rather than British. The Jewish Agency was responsible for the internal management of the camps in Atlit and Kiryat Shmuel, while medical services were provided there by the Hadassah organization. The Kiryat Shmuel camp is considered to be the first actual immigrant camp, having a capacity of 700 persons.

In the first half of 1947 another immigrant camp, named Newe Haim, was established near Hadera, providing housing for those released from Atlit detention camp and from Kiryat Shmuel camp. The average stay of immigrants in Newe Haim at that time was about 3 weeks.

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