Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Museum of Underground Prisoners
Museum of Underground Prisoners is a museum in Jerusalem, commemorating the activity of the Jewish underground—Haganah, Irgun and Lehi—during the period leading up the establishment of the State of Israel.
The museum is located on Mish'ol HaGvura Street in one building of the Russian Compound. The building was erected as a hostel for Christian pilgrims towards the end of the Ottoman period, when the European powers sought to strengthen their hold on Palestine. The Russian Compound, built outside the Old City, included a church, a hospital, and pilgrim hostels for men and women. The inscription "Marianskya women's hostel" can be seen in Russian above the entrance.
In 1917, the British conquered Palestine from the Ottoman Turks. The British Mandatory authorities transformed the Russian Compound into a British security and administrative center, and the Russian women's hostel became 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 passed through its gates. Jews and Arabs were incarcerated together. While the facility housed many death-row inmates, members of the Jewish underground sentenced to death were executed in Acre. The British, fearful of the Jewish reaction to executions in the holy city, never used the gallows for Jews, although it was once scheduled for such use.[citation needed] In each cell, one prisoner was appointed supervisor and given a bed. Prisoners from the Jewish underground were put to work making coffins and gravestones for British policemen and soldiers who had been killed in attacks by Jewish underground groups. As the guards used to tell them, "What you start on the outside, you finish on the inside".[citation needed]
Between 1946 and 1948, the Jewish Jerusalemites nicknamed the highly secured area "Bevingrad". The wire fence, bars and inscription "Central Prison Jerusalem" on the door are from the British Mandatory period, which ended in May 1948.
During the 1947–1949 Palestine war on 15 May 1948, the compound was captured by the Haganah with the assistance of the Irgun and Lehi in a campaign known as Operation Kilshon, 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 1991 the building was transferred to the Ministry of Defense which restored the prison and turned it into a museum.[citation needed]
2009 Joshua Sobols polydrama "Alma", a site specific simultan play about Alma Mahler-Werfel, wife of Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius and Franz Werfel was performed in the entire museum, directed by Paulus Manker, in co-production with the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv, starring Doron Tavori, Golan Azulai and Adi Gilat.
The Mandatory justice and law enforcement apparatus included civil and military courts, a police force ("Palestine Police") and a 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.
Hub AI
Museum of Underground Prisoners AI simulator
(@Museum of Underground Prisoners_simulator)
Museum of Underground Prisoners
Museum of Underground Prisoners is a museum in Jerusalem, commemorating the activity of the Jewish underground—Haganah, Irgun and Lehi—during the period leading up the establishment of the State of Israel.
The museum is located on Mish'ol HaGvura Street in one building of the Russian Compound. The building was erected as a hostel for Christian pilgrims towards the end of the Ottoman period, when the European powers sought to strengthen their hold on Palestine. The Russian Compound, built outside the Old City, included a church, a hospital, and pilgrim hostels for men and women. The inscription "Marianskya women's hostel" can be seen in Russian above the entrance.
In 1917, the British conquered Palestine from the Ottoman Turks. The British Mandatory authorities transformed the Russian Compound into a British security and administrative center, and the Russian women's hostel became 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 passed through its gates. Jews and Arabs were incarcerated together. While the facility housed many death-row inmates, members of the Jewish underground sentenced to death were executed in Acre. The British, fearful of the Jewish reaction to executions in the holy city, never used the gallows for Jews, although it was once scheduled for such use.[citation needed] In each cell, one prisoner was appointed supervisor and given a bed. Prisoners from the Jewish underground were put to work making coffins and gravestones for British policemen and soldiers who had been killed in attacks by Jewish underground groups. As the guards used to tell them, "What you start on the outside, you finish on the inside".[citation needed]
Between 1946 and 1948, the Jewish Jerusalemites nicknamed the highly secured area "Bevingrad". The wire fence, bars and inscription "Central Prison Jerusalem" on the door are from the British Mandatory period, which ended in May 1948.
During the 1947–1949 Palestine war on 15 May 1948, the compound was captured by the Haganah with the assistance of the Irgun and Lehi in a campaign known as Operation Kilshon, 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 1991 the building was transferred to the Ministry of Defense which restored the prison and turned it into a museum.[citation needed]
2009 Joshua Sobols polydrama "Alma", a site specific simultan play about Alma Mahler-Werfel, wife of Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius and Franz Werfel was performed in the entire museum, directed by Paulus Manker, in co-production with the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv, starring Doron Tavori, Golan Azulai and Adi Gilat.
The Mandatory justice and law enforcement apparatus included civil and military courts, a police force ("Palestine Police") and a 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.