The Mauritian shekel

the long version

"In 1940 thousands of Jews were trying to flee Nazi persecution in Europe. This is the little-known story of a group of 1,600 Jewish refugees who, having escaped from Nazi-occupied Europe, were refused entry into Palestine by the British in 1940 because they were considered "illegal" immigrants. Their deportation after landing in the Promised Land - Eretz, Israel - was unique. As a deterrent to others, they were deported to Mauritius, a remote island in the Indian Ocean. They were detained in a Mauritian prison until the end of the war and were deprived of all basic human rights - even that of family life. This story sheds light on the British government's lack of understanding of the critical problem facing Jewish refugees at that time."--BOOK JACKET.