Museum of Underground Prisoners
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The Museum of Underground Prisoners is a museum in Jerusalem commemorating the activity of underground groups Haganah, Irgun and Lehi in the Israeli pre-state period, It's located on 1 Misheol Hagvurah Street in the Russian Compound in the former Central Prison of the British Mandate period. Recreatiing the every day life of those imprisoned here it contains the original jail cells, workshops, a synagogue, rooms for solitary confinement, death row and gallows. The museum deals with Jewish prisoners and their history only, and does not mention the many Arab prisoners who were also incarcerated in the facility.
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[edit] History of the building
In Palestine at the end of the Ottoman period, the European powers wanted to strengthen their hold on Palestine with various means including visits by Christian pilgrims. As part of this effort, during the 1860s the Russians built the site known as the Russian Compound near the Old City. A church was built in the center of the compound as well as various buildings including a hospital, a men's hostel and a women's hostel named Marianskya which was built 1864 in neo-classical style. At the front of the building is the Russian inscription "Marianskya women's hostel" and the symbol above the entrance of the Russian women's dormitory (1860s-1917).
Towards the end of World War I (1917), the British conquered the land from the Ottomans (Turks) and ruled under a mandate until 1948. During this period, the compound became a British security and administrative center known as "Bevingrad." The women's hostel was transformed into the central British prison. With long hallways leading to separate rooms, it was an ideal layout for a prison. Over the course of the British occupation, hundreds of prisoners, both simple criminals and political, passed through its gates. Jews and Arabs were incarcerated together. Executions for capital crimes were commonplace, but only for Arabs. While the facility housed many death-row inmates captured from the Jewish underground organizations, Jews sentenced to death were sent to Acco for the actual executions. The British, fearful of the Jewish reaction to executions in the holy city, never used the gallows of the prison for Jews. In each cell, one prisoner was made supervisor over the others, and given an actual bed. This, of course, resulted in great resentment from the others. Prisoners from the Jewish underground organizations were often put to work making coffins and gravestones for the very same British policemen and soldiers they had killed in combat. As the guards used to tell them, "What you start on the outside, you finish on the inside." The wire fence, bars and inscription "Central Prison Jerusalem" on the door are from the British Mandatory period (1917-1948).
During the War of Independence on May 15, 1948, the compound was captured by the Haganah with the assistance of the Etzel and Lehi in a campaign known as Operation Kilshon (Operation Pitchfork). The building was used for various purposes after the establishment of the State including storehouses of the Jewish Agency. During the 1960s the Israeli government purchased most of the compound from the Russian government in a transaction called "The Orange Transaction." In 1991 the building was transferred to the Ministry of Defense which restored the prison and turned it into a museum.
[edit] Background of the period
In November 1917, shortly before they captured Eretz Israel, the British issued the Balfour Declaration which called for the establishment of a "Jewish National Home in Eretz Israel." Despite the ambiguous wording, the Declaration inspired great hope among world Jewry and the Jewish community in Eretz Israel.
The capture of Eretz Israel by the British at the end of World War I (1917-18) brought an end to 400 years of Ottoman rule which had become opposed Zionist activity. The British instituted military rule which was recognized at the beginning of the 1920s by the League of Nations as a "mandate" (essentially a power of attorney) and continued until 1948.
During the Mandate, the Jewish community in Eretz Israel developed in all spheres - immigration, land purchase, building of settlements, cultural awakening, and the establishment of a defense force. The Arabs, suspicious of Jewish attempts to rule the land, viewed the Balfour Declaration as proof of their fears, and fought for its nullification. The first wave of riots erupted in 1920 when the Arabs attacked Jewish communities in Jerusalem and the Galilee. In 1921 Arabs attacked the Jews of Jaffa, Jerusalem, the southern Sharon and the coastal plain. In 1929 Jewish communities in all parts of the country were attacked. The peak of these attacks was the incicidents in Hebron, Safed and Jerusalem. The "Arab Revolt" broke out in 1936. The British appointed commissions to investigate the riots. The results were published in a "White Paper" which was a declaration of British policy. This paper expressed increasing British surrender to Arab pressure which was implemented with limitations on immigration and Jewish settlement, the primary factors towards establishing the state.
The violent Arab opposition to the Zionist enterprise caused the establishment of the "Haganah" – the large central body of Jewish defense in the period before the establishment of the State. Due to the Haganah’s insistence on defense only against the Arabs (“Policy of Restraint”) and its reluctance to harm the British, also because they occasionally aided the Jews, a group of the Haganah withdrew after the 1929 disturbances. This group demanded a more active response against the Arabs and British. During the 1930s this group evolved into the Irgun – the National Military Organization.
Cooperation developed between the leadership of the Jewish community in Palestine and the British Mandate government during the Arab Revolt. Units were established in this framework such as HaShomer ("the Watchman"), the Jewish Settlement Police, and the Special Night Squads. The Palmach ("Assault Companies") was established in 1941 as part of the Haganah. When World War II broke out, the British sealed the gates of the country to the Jews, including Holocaust refugees. The Haganah and Etzel thought that the embattled British who were fighting the Nazis should be helped. At the same time, immigration and settlement activities should be continued. In 1940 a small group from Etzel that did not accept this approach withdrew from the organization and established the Lehi underground – Fighters for the Freedom of Israel. Lehi policy was to direct attacks against the British during the war.
World War II intensified the tension and disagreements between the underground groups concerning attacks on the British. As the end of the war approached, Etzel joined Lehi in attacking the British. This was contrary to the decision of the Jewish community in Palestine and its institutions. Tension between the underground groups erupted and even reached the point when Etzel and Lehi members were hunted down by the Haganah and turned over to the British. This period is known as "The Season".
At the end of World War II, when it became apparent that the British did not intend to aid in the establishment of a Jewish state, the Hebrew Revolution Movement was founded. This was a roof organization for the three underground groups. It operated cooperatively for a year (1945-1946) with the goal of upsetting the government administration and bringing British rule to an end. Sabotage was done at critical strategic points such as railroad tracks (Night of the Trains, November 1946), bridges (Night of the Bridges, June 1946), and blowing up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem (June 1946). This latter act caused a renewal of the disagreements and the dissolution of the partnership between the groups. The three underground organizations continued to act against the British independently until the IDF was founded. The British took a hard line in their response to the activities against them. They imposed curfews, made arrests, confiscated all arms, cruelly chased away new immigrants and executed 13 underground fighters.
As a result of the weakening of the administration, the British brought the issue to the United Nations which decided on November 29, 1947 to partition Eretz Israel. This signaled the start of the War of Independence (1947-1949). On May 14, 1948, the British left and the following day the State was proclaimed.
[edit] Mandatory Prisons
The Mandatory justice and law enforcement apparatus included civil and military courts, a police force ("Palestine Police") and prison service. Prison detention camps were established all over the country including the central prison in Jerusalem, the prison in Acre, detention camps at Atlit and Latrun, and the women's prison and detention camp in Bethlehem. The British served at the highest positions in the prison system. Arabs served mostly in the intermediate and lower levels while some Jews also served.
Criminals of all three religions were incarcerated in the prisons. Underground members were defined as political prisoners and were tried by military courts. The violations for which the underground members were tried included among other things: the hanging of proclamations, training and possession of weapons and actual physical injury to the British. Sentences were determined according to the severity of the crime, ranging from several months to life imprisonment and the death sentence.
At the beginning of the Mandatory period, the population of the Central Prison in Jerusalem was 250 inmates. At the end of the period the number was about 500. In the beginning prisoners were kept in cells without any separation based on religion. Starting in the mid-1930s, the number of underground prisoners rose and they demanded separate cells. The British acquiesced to this demand and they were put into separate cells. Despite the tension between Arabs and Jews outside the prisons, the relations between Jewish and Arab prisoners were generally normal. In January 1947, the tension outside penetrated into the prisons and a general fight broke out that spread throughout the prison. This outbreak was called "The Grand Toshe". Following this event, the prison was divided into two separate wings: the southern part of the prison became the Arab wing, and the northern part became the Jewish wing.
[edit] Building
Detention the registration and reception room is located to the right of the entrance to the jail. A new prisoner was registered and given a haircut. His personal belongings were stored, and after receiving his prison clothes in the "clothes storeroom" he was assigned to a cell.
Prisoner cells In the cells the prisoners’ brown garb, the "burshes" (mats) upon which the prisoners slept, and the "kardal", the bucket that was used as a toilet can be seen. The bed in the corner near the window was for the “mukhtar”, the prisoner that the British made responsible for the conduct of the prisoners in the cell.
Bakery The prisoners baked bread that they ate with their meals, generally pita bread.
"Special treatment" cell cell for prisoners whose crimes were relatively light. They were entitled to better conditions such as sleeping on beds and wearing regular clothes.
Clothes storeroom The place where the prisoners’ personal items and clothes were stored. Instead of their clothes they received clothing and sleep items, including uniforms made of coarse material, two blankets and "bursh" (mat).
Escape room A cell near the prison fence in which underground prisoners were kept. In 1948 members of Irgun and Lehi dug a tunnel in a corner of the cell under the last bed. The tunnel connected to a sewer pipe that ran under the fence to the outside. With the aid of comrades outside who pretended to fix the sewer pipe, the prisoners disguised themselves as municipality workers and 12 of them succeeded to escape and join their comrades who fought in the War of Independence. In this cell, as in other cells in the prison, the engravings on the floors and the window sills that were made by the prisoners are evident. Among the engravings are names of the prisoners, national symbols like the Star of David, symbols of organizations including the Etzel symbol (a map of the entire Eretz Israel in the center and a hand holding a rifle) and the communist party symbol (a star with a scythe in the center).
Synagogue room This cell housed Jewish criminals and was used as a synagogue on Shabbat and holidays. The cell is connected to the activities of the Rabbi Aryeh Levin - "the father of the prisoners." The rabbi devoted his life to helping others: lepers in the Lepers' Hospital in Jerusalem, Jewish criminals, and underground prisoners with whom the rabbi established a special bond. For 25 years, the rabbi came to the prison every Shabbat and holiday, in every kind of weather, without any reward or salary. He encouraged the prisoners and immediately after every visit to the prison he hurried to the homes of the prisoners’ families to give them regards from their children.
Prison yards Two interior yards were used for daily exercise. They also contained service installations such as kitchens and clothing washrooms where the prisoners worked. A Palmach prisoner, Gideon ("Johnny") Peli, worked in the kitchen. His girlfriend Bracha Fuld, who was also a member of the Palmach, used to write to him and visit him regularly. One day, she didn't show up to the visit as scheduled. A newspaper scrap, found in the bottom of one of the food supply boxes in the kitchen, provided Johnny with the reason – Bracha was killed by the British during an operation to land illegal immigrants from the Orde Wingate ship on the Tel Aviv shore (March 1946). After his release from prison, Johnny fought in the War of Independence and was killed in one of the battles for the Kastel (March 1948).
Workshop section The prisoners worked in workshops as part of their daily routine. The workshops included a carpentry shop, printing shop, a shoemaking and sewing area in which the prisoners made sleeping mats and sewed uniforms. The British used the workshops for external uses such as printing or preparing coffins for British soldiers and policemen.
Exercise yard This yard served as a prayer and exercise yard for Moslem prisoners. On the wall can be seen a drawing of the crescent of the "Machrav" which indicates the direction of Mecca where Moslems turn when praying. The yard was used for the punishment of lashings. In December 1946, Benjamin Kimhi, a 16- year-old member of the Etzel was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment and 18 lashings for his participation in the robbery of the Ottoman Bank in Jaffa. The purpose of the robbery was to get funds for underground activities. When the Etzel became aware of the sentence, they published a proclamation warning the British not to subject Benjamin to the lashings. Because of the tense atmosphere, the warden decided to execute the lashings in his office rather than in the exercise area. The following day, in an operation known as "Night of Lashings" an Etzel team kidnapped several British officers and gave them 18 lashings before releasing them. One of the teams was caught by the British in a routine check post and three members of the group, Mordechai Alkachi, Yechiel Dresner, and Eliezer Kashani, were hanged in the Acre Prison.
The Mustshafa (prison dispensary) The dispensary was separated from the prison cells and included also an office for a doctor who came once a week, and an isolation room. Two bottles of medicine, one red and the other yellow, were given for almost every ailment. This is evidence of the low level of treatment that was provided to the prisoners.
Warden and secretariat office The warden's office was separated by a wall from the nearby secretariat room. (The wall was not restored.) The entrance to these rooms was from the outside. Items that were used by the prisoners to smuggle things in and out of the prison are displayed on a shelf to the left of the door. Forbidden items that were hidden during inspection of the cells are also displayed.
Solitary confinement Prisoners who broke prison rules were kept in these narrow cells that were called "hell". Examples of forbidden acts were fighting or being insolent to a jailer. The warden inflicted this punishment and the time spent here ranged from several hours to two weeks.
Memorial room to the executed Pictures of the thirteen men who were hanged during the British mandate are displayed in this room. They were members of the three underground groups. Pictures of two members of the Nili underground who were executed during the Ottoman period are also displayed as well as three Israeli agents who were executed in Arab countries after the establishment of the State.
Death row and gallows Most of the condemned underground members were executed at the Acre Prison. At that time Acre was an Arab city. Approximately 100 Arabs were executed at the Jerusalem prison during the Mandate. The condemned wore red and were kept in two cells near the gallows room where they awaited execution.
Moshe Barazani, a member of Lehi, and Meir Feinstein, a member of Etzel, were sentenced to death in 1946 because of their involvement in two separate incidents that occurred in Jerusalem. They awaited execution in the cell on the right. The British, fearing that the vehicle taking them to Acre would be ambushed, decided to execute them in Jerusalem. At the initiative of the two underground groups and with the agreement of the two condemned men, it was decided to thwart the plans of the executioners. The plan was to smuggle into their cell two improvised hand grenades. These were to be hidden in orange peels and placed in a fruit basket. The first hand grenade would be thrown at the hangmen including the warden during the planned execution. The second hand grenade would be used for the two condemned men to take their lives.
The execution was set for April 22, 1947. On the previous evening they were visited by Rabbi Yaakov Goldman who was so impressed by their courage and spirit that he decided to accompany them to their execution. They feared for the rabbi's life, and tried to dissuade him from accompanying them. The rabbi insisted, but they could not tell him of their plan since committing suicide is against the Halacha (Jewish law) and a rabbi would never permit it. The rabbi left the cell with the intention of returning the next morning. A few moments later, Meir Feinstein wrote their last words on the cover of his bible, and entrusted it in the hands of the British guard. The men embraced each other, holding the hand grenade between them and sang Hatikva. When other prisoners heard the explosion, they knew that the British would not lay their hands on these two men .
[edit] Outside the building
Monument to Moshe Barzani and Meir Feinstein Moshe Barzani and Meir Feinstein were buried on the Mount of Olives. IDF state memorials were placed on their graves after the Six Day War. The original tombstones were brought to the courtyard of the prison where they stand as monuments to their memory. Menachem Begin, commander of Etzel and Israel's sixth prime minister, requested in his will that he be buried beside them on the Mount of Olives.
