The source of inspiration for Ofri's exhibit is her family story about her great- grandfather, who went to Nitzanim beach with the local Jewish residents to help illegal immigrants disembark. When the British captured the ship, many illegal immigrants managed to escape. The illegal immigrants and the local Jews made it difficult for the British to differentiate between them, as they all said only, "I am a Jew from Eretz Israel". The British deported many of those they arrested to Cyprus, including great-grandfather Aaron Brenz.
Ofri chose to present the dramatic moments in which the illegal immigrants got off the ship and to highlight the spirit of Zionism displayed by her grandfather and the other locals. In her work Ofri combined painting on canvas with ceramics, depicting those getting off the ship holding the rope and the locals waiting for them on the beach. The exhibit has great significance for Ofri, because it commemorates an important landmark in her family history and in the collective memory of the people of Israel.
My family story
By Manuel Hirsch Grosskopf