Holocaust ship doctor dies aged 86

A SCOTTISH doctor who cared for passengers on board a ship of 4,500 Holocaust survivors as it sailed to what is now Israel has been buried in Jerusalem.

Dr Joshua Cohen, who was born and brought up in Glasgow, died in Israel last Tuesday at the age of 86. The doctor, who also served in the British Army, is survived by his wife, two children and three grandchildren.

Dr Cohen was aboard the Aliya Bet ship that tried to take Holocaust survivors from war-torn Europe to British-mandated Palestine in the 1947.

He had volunteered on the ship, setting up clinics for passengers and helping those injured during fighting.

After the journey, he served in the Israeli Medical Corps, and later became deputy director of Haifa's Rambam Hospital.

He was also an adviser to the World Health Organisation.

The Aliya Bet ship left France in July 1947 carrying survivors of the Holocaust, including more than 650 children. Its destination was Palestine, but the Royal Navy boarded before it could dock, to prevent what was considered illegal immigration.

Three people were killed and 30 wounded during fighting, and many passengers were returned to Europe on prison ships.