Haapalah / Aliyah Bet

In September, 1939, Jozef Bussgang, his wife, Stefania, and children, Janina and Julien, travelled by car, which belonged to their in-laws, and drove south to Romania.
On September 17, 1939, they arrived at the border town of Kuty, and found members of the Polish government also evacuating across the border.
They crossed into Romania, after Jozef Bussgang bribed a border guard who allowed them to pass, and they made their way to Bucuresti, to join their in-laws in a hotel.

Jozef Bussgang foresaw that Romania would not continue to be a safe haven, and looked to immigrate elsewhere.
His in-laws were able to get to Portugal, and from there, made their way to the United States, via Cuba.

Although it was difficult to obtain visas to Palestine, Jozef Bussgang found out that there were a limited number of visas for people with sufficient assets for investment.
Having received visas, the Bussgang family travelled by train to Constanţa, where, in March 1940, they boarded a ship to Haifa חיפה.