Exodus Page #7

You'd still set it off, knowing you've lost?

Of course.

Without any regard

for the lives you'd be destroying?

With every regard in the world for them.

I don't understand.

Each person on board this ship is a soldier.

The only weapon we have to fight with

is our willingness to die.

But for what purpose?

Call it publicity.

- Publicity?

- Yes, publicity.

A stunt to attract attention.

A letter to the newspapers.

A help-wanted ad to the official journal

of the United Nations.

"Wanted by 600 men,

women and children, a country...

"... a native land, a home. "

That's all they're dying for.

Just to call attention to Israel...

...without ever having seen it themselves.

Does the vulgarity of it shock you?

You can't fight the whole British Empire

with 600 people.

It isn't possible.

How many Minutemen did you have

when they fired...

...the "shot heard round the world"?

- I don't know.

-77.

Look, please understand me.

I wish you could win.

I wish it were possible for you

to have a country of your own.

But it isn't.

You're offering the lives of all these people

for something that can never happen.

I know. I've been in Palestine.

- When were you there?

- A year ago.

Mr. Ben Canaan, even if you get a partition

and a free Jewish state...

...the Arabs won't let you keep it.

You can't win.

You think I'm a fool.

But I came to appeal to you

to call off the hunger strike...

...and avoid a tragedy.

Why don't you appeal to Gen. Sutherland?

What can I tell him?

Tell him what God said to Moses:

"Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him,

'Thus sayeth the Lord:

"'Let my people go, that they may serve me. "'

Exodus, Chapter 7, Verse 26.

We have been asked to talk to you,

Mr. Ben Canaan.

- Do you have time?

- Of course.

Excuse me.

We have made a decision among the mothers.

To send the children back to Karaolos now

will show weakness.

The British will see

that we are not serious people aboard this ship.

It doesn't matter what the British think.

I cannot take the responsibility

for letting children starve to death.

We will take the responsibility.

We will not send them back,

and we will not go back with them.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Frankel.

The children must go back.

You go back if you want to with them.

Now, that's a Haganah order.

You're an important man,

Mr. Ari Ben Canaan, but you know nothing.

Look at these babies of mine.

Born behind barbed wire.

For the first time they don't have to

look out through a fence like little animals.

They are free now, and nobody...

...no Englishman, no Haganah,

will ever lock them up again.

Look at Mrs. Hirschberg here.

Hers will be the first,

when she has no more milk to give.

- Tell him.

- I will not take him back to Karaolos.

He will go to Palestine with me,

or here on this ship, we will die together.

I will not take him back.

When are you going to stop this thing

and let them go?

Unfortunately, I can't answer that.

The affair's entirely in the hands of London.

But you don't like what's going on.

You know how wrong it is.

Why don't you say so?

Why don't you make a public statement about it?

I can't do that, Kitty. I'm a soldier.

I know you're a soldier, but you're also a Jew...

...and all these people out there are Jews, too.

I don't like to disappoint you,

but I'm not in any degree a Jew.

- But I thought...

- I know the rumour.

There had to be some explanation...

...for my attitude

towards this unpleasant business.

- I'm sorry for flying off like that.

- You're getting to be quite a Zionist.

As a matter of fact, I'm glad you did fly off.

You asked how I, as a Jew,

could let this happen to other Jews.

Now I find myself asking

how can any man let it happen?

Jew, Gentile, Buddhist, Mohammedan...

...no matter what he is.

Signal the air base.

I'm flying to London within the hour.

You know, you're an interesting woman,

Mrs. Fremont.

Sutherland won't let one member

of the press come aboard...

...and you shuttle back and forth

like a carrier pigeon.

I know you suspect me,

and I know nothing I say can make you trust me.

But I wanted to tell you

that Gen. Sutherland has left for London.

He understands your situation,

and he is trying to help.

Thanks.

Is that all?

I heard of Dr. Odenheim's death.

I'm a trained nurse,

and I worked with him at Karaolos.

If I can be useful, I'd be glad to stay aboard.

Without food?

I think I can go without food as long as you.

I'm glad to have you on board, Mrs. Fremont.

Glad to be aboard, Mr. Ben Canaan.

Whatever move you make,

you were dead 10 minutes ago.

I asked for an opinion from Romania?

Do you think the British will give in?

We'll give in first.

These schlemiels.

Maybe they think they've been hungry

once in a while.

They don't even begin to know

what real starvation is.

If you hate these people so much,

why do you want to go to Palestine with them?

Because there, Jews fight instead of talk.

When I get there, I'm going to join the Irgun.

They know how to do it.

I'm going to blow up every

British installation I can find.

I'm going to kill Englishmen...

...and kill and kill them...

...till there won't be any more.

- But the British aren't all bad.

- They're rotten, the whole bunch of them.

The British, all the Russians, the Poles-

- Not the Danes. When I was there-

- Them, too. Don't tell me.

That's not true.

The Hansens were Christians,

and they adopted me.

One little exception. That proves something?

There are lots of exceptions.

You just listen to me for a minute.

When the Nazis marched into Denmark...

...they ordered every Jew

to wear a yellow armband...

...with the Star of David on it. And when they-

- That's the worst thing that can happen?

- I said, listen!

You don't know what you're talking about.

The next morning, when every Jew in Denmark

had to wear his armband...

...King Christian came out of Amalienborg Palace

for his morning ride.

And do you know something?

- He wore the Star of David on his arm.

- But why should-

And you know something else?

By afternoon,

everybody was wearing Stars of David.

Jews and Danes, and, well, just everybody.

Why'd they do that?

If you don't just know why they did it, Dov...

...well, maybe that's what's wrong with you.

- Get the Olympia. I want to talk to them.

- Yes, sir.

Control Headquarters calling the Olympia.

- Do you hear me?

- This is the Exodus.

Stand by for Maj. Caldwell.

You are no longer interested

in your last rook, Mr. Lakavitch?

We pause for politics?

Gen. Sutherland, at his own request,

has been relieved of his duties on Cyprus.

I have just received a message

from the Colonial Office. I quote:

"His Majesty's Government,

having no desire to witness needless suffering...

"... grants permission

for the Olympia to sail to Palestine...

"... and to disembark its passengers

at the port of Haifa. "

That is all.

Ari Ben Canaan!

Well, happy landing, Mrs. Fremont.

- You'll find your luggage at customs.

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