Jewish Immigration from the Netherlands

Dora was a clandestine Jewish immigrant ship that set sail from the Netherlands in July 1939, carrying 480 Jewish refugees seeking to escape rising persecution in Europe. After a month-long voyage, the ship successfully landed its passengers on the shores north of Tel Aviv—without securing entry visas from the British Mandate authorities, who had imposed strict immigration limits under the 1939 White Paper.

The operation was organized by the Mossad LeAliyah Bet, the secret immigration branch of the Haganah, a Jewish paramilitary organization. Dora was part of a broader underground network that facilitated the illegal immigration (Aliyah Bet) of Jews to Palestine from various countries, defying British restrictions in the lead-up to the establishment of the State of Israel.