Akko had its Moment in Jewish History

By Henry Srebrnik, [Calgary] Jewish Free Press

 

When I’m in Israel in November, I’ll be visiting the Mediterranean seaside city of Akko (Acre in English). I’ve been there once before, many decades ago.

Not that many Jewish tourists go there. It’s north of Haifa and off the beaten path. For most of its history, it has been an Arab town; many of its landmarks date back to the Crusader period.

It’s an ancient settlement, mentioned in the Bible, and over the centuries it was home to Canaanites and Greeks, Crusaders and Ottoman Turks, Jews and Britons. Alexander the Great conquered it; Napoleon failed to do so.

Akko fell to the Arab armies commanded by the Caliph Umar in 638, but the Christian Crusaders captured it from its Muslim rulers in 1104. The city developed extensive trade relations with Mediterranean cities like Genoa, Pisa, Venice and Marseilles.

During this period it was known as St. Jean d’Akko; the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem had their headquarters there. They were concerned with the welfare of pilgrims who came to the Holy Land.

The last outpost of Christian rule in Palestine, Akko fell to Mamluk armies in 1291 The Knights moved to the Greek island of Rhodes, and later to another Mediterranean island, Malta. In 1517, Akko became part of the Ottoman Empire, and would be under Turkish rule for the next four centuries. 

Today, its population of 47,000 includes Jews, Muslims, Christians, and members of the Baha’i faith, for whom it is a holy city. 

Few Jews live in the Old City, where most of the residents are Muslim Arabs. In the modern city of Akko, however, Jews comprise about 70 percent of the population.

The rampart-ringed Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its mosques, Turkish baths, Crusader castle ruins and tunnels, is worth a visit.  

The Ahmed el-Jazzar Mosque, built in 1781, is the largest one in Israel outside of Jerusalem, while the Hospitaller Fortress is one of Israel’s most monumental examples of Crusader architecture. It contains an ancient underground passage discovered and maintained by the order.

Akko is also the site of the Shrine of Baha’u’llah. The city was the final resting place of the Persian founder of the Baha’i faith, who was exiled there in 1868 and spent the last years of his life in a house in its gardens.

The Ottoman Citadel, built in the 18^th century over the ruins of a 12th century Crusader fortress, became the tallest structure in the city.

Underneath the Citadel is the Crusader City historic site, a series of gothic vaulted halls, which were once headquarters for the Crusader armies. There is also a series of narrow subterranean tunnels to explore and a crypt.

The Citadel served as a major high-security prison during the period of British rule in Palestine after the First World War. 

The prison housed many top members of the Zionist resistance to British rule. The first prisoner was Ze’ev Jabotinsky. He and 19 others were imprisoned during the 1920 Palestine riots.

In 1939, 43 members of the Haganah, including Moshe Dayan, were prisoners in the Citadel.

On May 4, 1947 a dramatic prison breakout by incarcerated members of the right-wing Irgun and Lehi underground fighters captured headlines around the world and was later even included in Leon Uris’ 1958 novel Exodus.

Two weeks earlier, four Irgun members, Dov Gruner, Yehiel Dresner, Mordechai Alkahi, and Eliezer Kashani, who had been captured by the British, were hanged in the prison. 

In response, the Irgun made plans for a massive prison attack. They purchased a truck, a jeep, two military pickup trucks and civilian vehicles, which were then disguised as British. They also acquired British Army uniforms.

At the time, 163 Jews were being held in Akko prison, 60 of them Irgun members, 22 Lehi, and five from the Haganah, the main force fighting British rule. The remaining Jewish prisoners were felons; 400 Arabs were also jailed there.

The Irgun High Command selected 41 prisoners for escape: 30 Irgun and 11 Lehi, as that was the available number of spots available at safe houses. 

Disguised as British soldiers, the Irgun convoy arrived at the prison. In an audacious attack, the wall of the fortress was blasted open. An ensuing fire blocked the guards from reaching the escape route.

Altogether, 27 inmates succeeded in escaping --20 from the Irgun and seven from Lehi. Nine fighters were killed in clashes with the British army: six escapees and three members of the Irgun attacking force. Eight escapees, some of them injured, were caught and returned to jail. 

Also arrested were five of the Irgun attackers who did not make it back to their base. The Arab prisoners took advantage of the commotion, and 182 of them fled as well.

Three weeks after the jail break, the five fighters who had been captured after the operation were put on trial; three were sentenced to death.

The Akko prison break strengthened morale in the Palestinian Jewish population and they became more determined in their fight to create a Jewish state.

The prison is now the Museum of the Underground Prisoners. It features an interactive display with original and reconstructed exhibits, a tour of the prison cells and an account of the prison’s rich history.

An impressive sculpture close to the site, the work of Israeli artist Zvi Gera, depicts a scene from the great escape and memorializes those who risked their lives to save their comrades, and those who perished in the heroic effort.