Promised Land

The Mediterranean Sea has long been a crossing point for refugees seeking brighter futures. During and after WWII, Holocaust survivors crossed the sea from Italy to reach British-Mandated Palestine. The Italian government allowed survivors to depart from their coastlines and granted their protection of the departing. Meanwhile, David Ben-Gurion charged the Mossad LeAliyah Bet, the ancestor of the Israeli Secret Intelligence Service, with the operation of moving survivors across the ocean. Director Daniele Tommaso speaks with witnesses and experts, as well as the family of the Mossad’s directors, in re-constructing this little-known but thrilling slice of history.