Out of Sight and Out of Sync: Space and Time in Israeli Immigrant Transit Camps

Abstract Space and time played a crucial role in the social and cultural integration of immigrants living in Israeli transit camps during the 1950s. Over the course of three and a half years, approximately 720,000 immigrants from sixteen countries arrived in Israel. Lacking other options, one-third of them were housed in government-run transit camps, which created a barrier between them and the majority of immigrants who were able to assimilate independently throughout Israel, as well as between transit camp residents and society at large. Based on analysis of archival sources and oral documentation, this article provides insight into the daily lives of transit camp residents, focusing on the key dimensions of space and time. Regarding space, the camps became heterotopic spaces, isolated and separate from their surroundings. With regard to time, daily life within the transit camps operated on a different internal rhythm than the broader process of Israeli nation-building. Additionally, the article touches upon the routine of waiting, the significance of garden spaces within the transit camps, and the disconnect from social and political events outside of the camps.