The Voyage of the Pentcho

Based on archive materials and testimonies, this documentary, which was made by Hungarian TV, tells the story of the Pentcho, a refugee ship that during Fall-Winter 42 carried 500 Jews from Bratislava down the Danube River directed to the Black Sea, hoping to reach Palestine. They shipwrecked in the Aegean Sea and were rescued by an Italian Navy ship. They were taken to the Island of Rhodes, where they stayed for a year. Then they were sent to Ferramonti, an internment camp for Jews. The camp was never a concentration camp in the German sense of the term. Internees were allowed to receive food parcels and visit sick relatives. In addition, there were no mail restrictions. 6 weeks after Mussolini's downfall (Sep. 43), the prisoners were released. Many of these internees joined the Allied armed forces. About 1,000 were shipped to the US and interned at Camp Oswego, New York. Ultimately, they were permitted to stay in the US. Thus, an anticipated 1-month voyage turned into a 4-year struggle for survival.