| Cypress Day Six 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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