Historical Context
At the end of World War II there were hundreds of thousands of Jewish Holocaust survivors living in Displaced Persons camps in Europe. The Jewish communities they came from had been destroyed by the Nazis; in most cases where their former homes and businesses survived, they were occupied by non-Jews, and across Poland and Ukraine, when survivors returned home they were being murdered in the anti-Jewish violence in Poland, 1944-1946 and parallel events in Ukraine.
The few countries that were willing to accept refugees had immigration restrictions and long waits for visas. The great majority of Displaced Persons wished to immigrate to the Land of Israel, but the British Mandatory government of Palestine was refusing to admit more than a tiny number of Jews.
The ALFP was entirely open about its motivations for producing this play; its publicity materials read: "'A Flag is Born' is not ordinary theatre. It was not written to amuse or beguile. 'A Flag is Born' was written to make money--to make money to provide ships to get Hebrews to Palestine ... and arouse American public opinion to support the fight for freedom and independence now being waged by the resistance in Palestine."
Read more about this topic: A Flag Is Born
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