Jewish refugee identified in Israel after 78 years

Israeli authorities have successfully identified the remains of Shlomo Haimson, a Jewish refugee who was killed in 1948 while attempting to escape from the British detention camp at Karaolos in Famagusta, Cyprus. The identification follows an extensive investigation by the Israeli army’s missing persons directorate, the military rabbinate, the defense ministry, and the association of Jewish prisoners in Cyprus.

Following his death in September 1948, several months after the State of Israel was established, Haimson was initially buried in the Jewish cemetery at Margo, near the village of Pyroi in Cyprus. In 1970, the remains of individuals interred at Margo were transferred to Israel and buried in Haifa. Due to a lack of documentation at the time of the transfer, many graves remained anonymous. Recent research has confirmed that Haimson is buried in grave number 11, located in the second row of the Jewish immigrant section at the Haifa cemetery.

This incident highlights the historical detention of Jewish refugees by British authorities in Cyprus, who were attempting to reach Mandatory Palestine following World War II. The successful identification provides closure to a case that has remained unresolved for nearly eight decades.