After the State of Israel was declared, the countries of the Middle East where Jews had lived for generations expelled them. Some 500,000 immigrants came in the first three years, severely straining the fledgling state’s resources. As a result, these newcomers were housed in makeshift transit camps, some of which lasted throughout the 1950s. The plight of the new immigrants to Israel was portrayed by some of the social realist painters, among them Ruth Schloss (1922-2013), whose painting of a camp is at the Mishkan Museum of Art. Born in Germany and a member of the left-wing Hashomer Hatzair, Schloss’ interest in social problems characterized her art throughout her lifetime. (Image from the Collection of the Mishkan Museum of Art, Ein Harod, Israel)