Disguises and Canned Goods: The Astonishing Breakout from Acre Fortress

A few decades ago, mental health knowledge was scarce. People with any mental issue were labeled as "crazy," often ending up in what was called then a "madhouse." These institutions resembled prisons. Inmates faced severe and unimaginable conditions, with staff often harsh or even cruel - neglect, violence, and more.

One such "madhouse" was in Acre. In the northern part of the ancient city, adjacent to the wall, stood an old fortress. Built by the Hospitallers around nine centuries ago, the Crusader order was named for its first venture in Israel, a hospital (hospital). Massive stones formed its foundation; it sat on an arched, fortified basement between the seashore and a deep moat. Indeed, the Mamluks fought a fierce battle to conquer it two centuries later. From the Mamluk conquest, Acre's fortress became a Muslim stronghold throughout the Ottoman period. However, in Israel, it became known as a "madhouse," and disturbing reports emerged from its walls. Those not required to be there preferred to stay away.

After World War I, when the British took control of the land, they converted the fortress into a prison, gradually filling it with Jewish prisoners, primarily from right-wing undergrounds. In 1920, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, the right-wing leader and founder of the "Revisionist" ideology, was imprisoned there after trying to protect Jews from Jerusalem riots. Many underground activists and Arab terrorists were later imprisoned there. The prison had gallows, and a total of nine Jews were hanged by the British authorities.

The British were no gentlemen toward the underground prisoners. Medical neglect, abuse, inhumane interrogations, and more prevailed. The place was notorious, especially since the gallows awaited those convicted, and the trials were not always fair. The undergrounds sought to free their inmates, including those sentenced to death.

Amichai Paglin from the Irgun organization spent a long time surveying Acre's alleys surrounding the prison to learn its weaknesses. Perfectly disguised as an Arab, his fluent Arabic left no room for discovery. Based on his reports, a daring plan was crafted, demanding extensive preparations - smuggling into the prison and positioning across various country locations.

Thus, on Sunday, May 4, 1947, the operation began. A convoy of 34 Irgun fighters went to Haifa-Nahariya road, blocked it, set fire to gas stations, and created chaos to prevent communication, aid, and awareness of the unfolding events. They were disguised as British soldiers and drove British vehicles to sow confusion.

Another Irgun unit entered Acre's Turkish bathhouse disguised as telephone technicians, where they blew up a common wall with the prison. Simultaneously, prisoners blew up an internal gate in the prison with concealed explosives, delaying the guards with stun grenades and burning barricades. The incendiaries were smuggled inside canned goods.

41 underground prisoners escaped through the breach and scattered around Acre in different escape routes. Some were injured in shootouts, some were captured, but 27 managed to escape. Three captured escapees were sentenced to death by hanging by the High Commissioner. In retaliation, the undergrounds captured two British sergeants and announced that if the Jewish prisoners were executed, the sergeants would meet the same fate. The British ignored the threat and executed the martyrs Meir Nakar, Avshalom Haviv, and Yaakov Weiss. On the same day, the two British sergeants were hanged in a grove near Netanya, known to this day as "The Sergeants' Grove."

Shortly after, the British punished Jews with lashings, and Irgun members retaliated by capturing British soldiers and lashing them similarly. These actions significantly impacted the British and accelerated their departure from the land.

Members of the undergrounds were very proud of their actions, but the leadership associated with Mapai distanced themselves. The day after the Acre prison break, the Jewish Agency's spokesman published a statement calling it "an irresponsible act, a reckless endeavor. The attackers lost 15 dead and, at this cost, freed Arab criminals, among them those who spilled Jewish blood." The Kibbutzim of the Hashomer Hatzair refused the British request to bury fallen underground members in their cemeteries!

To diminish and forget the event, the authorities turned the Acre fortress into a "madhouse," a place that repels sane people. However, with time, there was recognition that even if there were disagreements on the exact way to operate, it was clear that underground members significantly contributed to removing the British rule that clearly favored the Arabs and achieving the peace and freedom we yearn for.