Haapalah / Aliyah Bet

In March, 1942, Leah Mortkovic and 998 other Jewish women were transported to Auschwitz.

On August 1, 1942, Leah Mortkovic was transferred to Camp B-1a, in the newly constructed satellite of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where she spent nearly 3 years.

In November, 1944, Leah Mortkovic was in Auschwitz-Birkenau when Josef Mengele came to close down the camp.
Josef Mengele everybody up to decide who would live and who would die.
He stopped at the woman in front of Leah Mortkovic. and while he was engaged with her, Leah sneaked ahead in the line, escaping examination.
Leah Mortkovic learned the woman behind her was shot on the spot as well.

Leah Mortkovic watched her cousin die from a beating, which took place in front of her.

On January 18, 1945, Leah Mortkovic and the Jewish women in Camp B-1a at Auschwitz-Birkenau, were transfered back to Auschwitz I.

On January 18, 1945, Leah Mortkovic and the Jewish women imprisoned in Auschwitz were forced on a 3 day Death March through Pszczyna, Poręba, Wielka and Jastrzebie Gorne to Wodzislaw, where they were loaded on to freight cars.

On February 14, 1945, Leah Mortkovic was one of several hundred women transferred to the Ravensbrück sub-camp of Malchow, where they stayed for two and a half months.

On April 24, 1945, Leah Mortkovic was among the women prisoners forced on a one day march out of Malchow.
They managed to get passage on a bus to Prague, after the Czech President demanded that all Czech citizens be released by the Nazis.

Leah Mortkovic, with Miriam and Rose, spent two months at the Murdorf-Liechtenstein DP Camp,

 

On November 14, 1945, to Leah 'Elonka' Mortkovic was reunited with Rose, in the Santa Maria DP Camp, and she was introduced to Eliezer 'Lazer' Welbel.

At 03:00AM, August 6, 1946, the eve Tisha beAv תשעה באב, Idéros Amiram Shochat עמירם שוחט weighed anchor, sailed from Bacoli (Boca di Magra), under French flag, at 5-6 knots, carrying 183 passengers.
Dudale Ben-Chorin served as Palyam Commander aboard Idéros Amiram Shochat עמירם שוחט.
Yonatan Kinarti served as Palyam Escort aboard Idéros Amiram Shochat עמירם שוחט.
Yosef Lustig Israeli served as Gidoni, wireless radio operator, aboard Idéros Amiram Shochat עמירם שוחט.
The crew aboard Idéros Amiram Shochat עמירם שוחט was French, and so was the Captain.

Dudale Ben-Chorin served as Palyam פלי"ם‎ Commander aboard Idéros Amiram Shochat עמירם שוחט.

Yonatan Kinarti served as Palyam פלי"ם‎ Escort aboard Idéros Amiram Shochat עמירם שוחט.

Yosef Lustig Israeli served as Gidoni גדעוני, wireless radio operator, aboard Idéros Amiram Shochat עמירם שוחט.

On August 6, 1946, Eliezer 'Lazer' Welbel, and his wife, Leah 'Elonka' Mortkovic Welbel, sail on Idéros Amiram Shochat עמירם שוחט, from Bacoli to Palestine.
On August 16, 1946, they landed in Palestine, where Leah found her sister, Rose, and her brother, but she had lost 30 family members in the Shoah.

A French reporter from France-Soir, who was on board Amiram Shochat עמירם שוחט Idéros, cites: Roberto, approximately 13 or 14 years old, was entrusted to the captain by his mother.
Ilan Braun cites: official documents did not mention that an additional person was brought on board.

Ilan Braun cites: "Le 14 juillet 1946 la goélette française Idéros venant de Bretagne va appareiller pour Marseille. Mais un incident survient: un pied qui dépasse d'un canot éveille l'attention d'un marin qui découvre..un passager clandestin, puis deux puis trois, enfin huit en tout! La police est appelée et les pauvres, rêveurs de lendemains français, sont arrêtés, à l'exception de deux d'entre eux: Raphael Garcia, espagnol, et Alberto, âgé de treize ans environ, qui serait juif?"
"On July 14, 1946, Idéros Amiram Shochat sail from Brittany for Marseille. But a problem arose: one dinghy was hanging lower than the others, attracting the attention of a sailor who discovered .. a stowaway, then a second, then a third, and finally a total of eight! The police were called and the poor dreamers of a French future, were arrested, with the exception of two: Raphael Garcia, Spanish, and Alberto, who was about thirteen, and possibly Jewish?"

Eliezer 'Lazer' Welbel and his wife, Leah, left Israel to join Eliezer's brother.
They settled in San Francisco, for two years, and then moved to Chicago,
They opened a coin laundry at 3352 North Marshfield.
They retired in 1980.