The Underground Prisoners Museum, located in the former British Mandate central prison in the Russian Compound, tells the story of the Jewish underground organizations that fought against British rule during the Mandate period (1917-1948). The building served as the British Mandate’s central prison in Jerusalem, and it was here that Jewish underground fighters from the Irgun (Etzel), Lehi (the Stern Gang), and Haganah were held, interrogated, and in several cases executed. The prison’s thick stone walls and iron doors still bear witness to that turbulent chapter in the struggle for Israeli independence.
The Prison
The prison cells, interrogation rooms, and execution chamber have been preserved as they were during the Mandate period. The cells are small, dark, and oppressive, and the execution chamber, where Jewish underground fighters were hanged, is one of the most sobering rooms in any Israeli museum. The personal stories of the prisoners, told through diaries, letters, and photographs, humanize what could otherwise be an abstract political narrative. Walking through the preserved corridors, visitors can see the original graffiti scratched into walls by prisoners, the cramped conditions they endured, and the improvised tools they fashioned for communication and escape attempts.
The Breakout
In 1947, the Irgun carried out a daring prison break, blasting through the walls of the Acre Prison in Akko (the Akko Citadel) to free 27 prisoners (out of a planned 41). The Jerusalem prison also saw escape attempts, and the museum documents the ingenuity of the prisoners and the determination of their organizations to free them.
The Executions
Several Jewish fighters were executed by hanging in the prison. Among the most famous was Dov Gruner, an Irgun fighter captured after an attack on the Ramat Gan police station in 1946. Gruner was sentenced to death but refused to recognize the authority of the British court, turning his trial into an act of defiance. He was hanged on April 16, 1947, at Acre prison. His last letter to the Irgun commander, Menachem Begin, became famous — a testament of unwavering conviction and willingness to die for the cause of Jewish independence. Another famous case is that of Meir Feinstein and Moshe Barazani, who smuggled a grenade into their cell and blew themselves up on the night before their scheduled execution in 1947, choosing death on their own terms. The execution chamber and the stories of the condemned prisoners raise difficult questions about resistance, sacrifice, and the price of independence.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
The Underground Prisoners Museum tells a chapter of Israeli history that is essential for understanding the birth of the state. Hoshen Tours includes it as part of the Russian Compound visit.