Cypress Day Eight Day Seven was Shabbat Cyprus, our friendly yet little-known neighbor, is rich in heritage: Roman, Crusader, Venetian, Ottoman, British, and even Jewish. Thickly forested mountains, quaint villages, vineyards, and pristine beaches offer a cool relief from the Mediterranean summer heat. Since 1974, the island is divided into the Republic of Cyprus and the North, occupied by Turkey. Diverse Greek, Turkish, British, and other communities add color to the visit. In 1946, the British set up internment camps in Cyprus for illegal Jewish immigrants to Mandatory Palestine. Until February 1949 more than 52,000 ma'apilim passed through these camps. Many young couples soon stood under the chuppah and 2,200 babies were born on the island - a baby boom that continued after the aliyah. Since 2016, the Cyprus Heritage Trips have been expertly organized by Yaron Amitai, author of popular guidebooks to Cyprus and Greece. This tour is led by Yochai Copenhagen, whose father came to Israel on board the Yagur, the first Hagana ship to be diverted to Cyprus.
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