The Struma Museum

The story

The Struma Museum is a center for the study of the clandestine immigration and a memorial museum, established in memory of the 769 immigrants of the ship “Struma” who drowned in 1942 on their way to the Land of Israel. It is dedicated to the story of the sinking of the immigrant ships: the “Struma”, the “Mefküre” with 380 who perished, murdered by the Nazis, the “Patria” with two hundred, the “Egoz” with forty-four, and beside them further small boats that were lost on the way. The museum is housed on the second floor of the veteran synagogue of those who came from Romania in Neighborhood Alef — Beit Avraham in memory of the martyrs of the Struma — which was built here about 1961 by a few immigrant families from Romania, among them families of those who perished on the ship; the idea was to establish the first synagogue, in Beersheba and in the world, in memory of the martyrs of the Struma. The synagogue has about two hundred and fifty places. In the museum are rare documents relating to the story of the ship, photographs, a display of human testimony as it is presented in a documentary film and explained by the people of the place, a library that lends its books to anyone interested, and a memorial room for those who perished. The museum was established on 5 March 2006, and at the dedication ceremony there took part the Minister of Construction and Housing Ze'ev Boim, the mayor of Beersheba Yaakov Terner, the commander of the Navy David Ben-Ba'ashat, the ambassador of Romania to Israel Mariana Stoica, the chief rabbi of Beersheba Yehuda Deri, the chief rabbi of Haifa She'ar Yashuv Cohen, representatives of the bereaved families and a large crowd. The main part of its activity is the guiding of school pupils and soldiers, and an annual assembly in memory of those killed in the disaster.

• Commemoration
• Communities
• Museums
• Beersheba