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ABSTRACT
Incarceration facilities are microcosms of the society within which they exist, mirroring its social, economic, ethnic, and national divisions that continue to manifest within them, albeit in different ways. Yet, we rarely have a chance to take even a quick look at what takes place within the prison walls, which most often remains hidden. Prisoners’ revolts and mass escapes produce both a practical and a metaphoric crack in the closure of the walls that surround prisons and afford a glimpse, however partial, of some of these intriguing aspects. The prisoners’ uprising that took place at Shata Prison on July 31, 1958, led to the largest prisoner escape in Israel: 11 prisoners and two guards were killed, 66 prisoners fled to Jordan, and many others were injured. The article tells the story of that uprising, moving along the macro axis, which examines its broad implications for Israeli incarceration policy, and the micro axis, which follows three key figures featured in the event: the leader of the revolt, a guard, and a Jewish prisoner. The article weaves the fabric of Israeli society in its first decade, with its rifts, fears, frustrations, and hopes.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. Some uprisings are not accompanied by an attempted escape, but rather manifest themselves in hunger strikes or riots, and some escapes occur without an uprising. At Shata, the escape took place during and following the uprising, therefore I use the two terms alternatingly, depending on the context.
2. In the 1950s, the term “infiltrators” was used to describe individuals who had left the territory of what became the State of Israel during the 1948 war and sought to return. The term was used to conceptualize the illegality of the claims of those returning to their land in Israel and to emphasize the attitude of the state toward them as criminals. The vast majority of those who tried to enter Israel, especially in the early years, did so to return to their families, land, and home; only later were their actions aimed at physically and economically harming civilians. The Fedayeen operations, often mentioned in one breath with the infiltrators, began only in 1954. Morris, Righteous Victims.
3. Nelson Mandela, “Address By President Nelson, Mandela at the Official Launch of the Retraining and Human Rights Project of the Department of Correctional Services,” Nelson Mandela Foundation, last modified 1998, http://www.mandela.gov.za/mandela_speeches/1998/980625_dcshr.htm. Accessed May 10, 2023.
4. Chantraine and Martin, “Introduction: Toward a Sociology of Prison Escape.”
5. For a general discussion of the objectives of punishment, see Scott, Penology.
6. For a discussion of the typology of prisoner escapes, see Peterson, Fera, and Mellow, “Escape From Correctional Custody.”
7. Sen, Mocking the State, 115, 120.
8. Ibid. See also Andersen, The Indian Uprising of 1857-58.
9. For more on prisons in India during the colonial period, see Arnold, “The Colonial Prison.”
10. Chantraine and Martin, “Introduction: Toward a Sociology of Prison Escape,” 1, 15.
11. Reichardt and Lusebrink, The Bastille: A History of a Symbol of Despotism and Freedom.
12. Comaroff and Comaroff, “Criminal Obsessions,” 808.
13. Bouagga, “Prison Escapes and Its Political Imaginary,” 143.
14. Mark, Lecture at The Israel Democracy Institute, January 27, 2017.
15. Sørenson, “Laughing on the Way to Social Change;” Martin and Ford, The Psychology of Humor.
16. Sen, Mocking the State.
17. Yablonka, “Nitzolei shoa be-Yisrael,” 25.
18. Drapkin, “Crime and Criminology in Israel,” 175.
19. Nehru, Autobiographia.
20. Smertin, Kwame Nkrumah.
21. Elkins, Imperial Reckoning.
22. Shapira, Ben-Gurion, 22-25, 42-43.
23. Begin, White Nights.
24. For the collection of letters Sharett wrote to his wife from detention, see Sharett, Ma’asar im niyar ve-iparon.
25. The Knesset website mentions the imprisonment of Knesset members under these circumstances under the Public Activity tab. See, for example, the entry for Mordechai Namir, “Mordechai Namir,” Ha-Knesset, https://main.knesset.gov.il/mk/Pages/MKPub.aspx?MKID=525. Accessed May 10, 2023.
26. See the Knesset website, the entry for Moshe Carmel, “Moshe Carmel,” Ha-Knesset, https://main.knesset.gov.il/mk/Pages/MKPub.aspx?MKID=467. Accessed May 10, 2023.
27. Dayan, Ruti sheli.
28. See, for example, Conrad and Schneider, Deviance and Medicalization.
29. Likhovski, “Between ‘mandate’ and ‘state,’”; Aviram, “Bad Role Models?”; Alyagon-Darr, Plausible Crime Stories, 19-29.
30. Eaton, Prisons in Israel, 1-7; Shavit, “The Israeli Prison System,” 275; Seba “Sanctioning Policy in Israel.”
31. “Hanina klalit – ma’ase hakika ahaon shel Mo’etzet Ha-Medina Ha-Zmanit [General amnesty: Last legislative act of the Provisional State Council],” Davar, February 11, 1949, 1.
32. “Haninat ha-nasi le-25 asirim [Presidential pardon for 25 prisoners],” Ha-Tzofe, December 11, 1952, 1; “Hanina helkit le-asirim [Partial pardon for prisoners],” Herut, April 20, 1953, 2; “450 bakashot hanina hugshu la-nasi [450 pardon requests submitted to the President],” Haaretz, December 11, 1953, 4.
33. Penal Law Revision (Abolition of the Death Penalty for Murder) Law, 5714-1954. https://main.knesset.gov.il/EN/about/history/documents/kns2_penallaw_eng.pdf. Accessed May 28, 2023.
34. Law Abolishing the Punishment of Flogging, 1950. https://www.nevo.co.il/law_html/law01/073_031.htm. Accessed May 28, 2023.
35. The Penal Law Amendment Act (Methods of Punishment), 1954. S. 2. https://www.nevo.co.il/law_html/law19/btl0184.htm#Seif9. Accessed May 28, 2023.
36. The Penal Law Amendment Act (Methods of Punishment), 1954. S. 18. https://www.nevo.co.il/law_html/law19/btl0184.htm#Seif9. Accessed May 28, 2023.
37. The Penal Law Amendment Act (Methods of Punishment), 1954. S. 17(a)(7). https://www.nevo.co.il/law_html/law19/btl0184.htm#Seif9. Accessed May 28, 2023.
38. Letter from Minister Sheetrit to the Cabinet Secretary, April 21, 1949. Israeli State Archives (ISA) G-202/4
39. Yosef, Yonah ve-herev, 320.
40. ISA G-4291/6. Cohn, Mavo ishi, 214.
41. Eaton, Prisons in Israel, 5-7.
42. Shamir-Driver and Meital, Zhut rishonot, 136.
43. “22,000 nidonu ve-ne’etzru me-az kom ha-medina [22,000 convicted and arrested since the establishment of the state],” Zmanim, April 29, 1954, 4. “Ha-tipul be-avaryanim be-batei ha-sohar [Treating Criminals in Prisons],” Ha-Tzofe, December 6, 1955, 3. “Kria la-tzibur lif’ol le-ma’an shikumo shel ha-asir ha-mishtahrer [Call on the public to act for the rehabilitation of released prisoners],” Herut, January 30, 1956, 4; “Aguda le-shikum ha-asir – be-Rishon Le-Tzion [Association for the Rehabilitation of Prisoners in Rishon Lezion],” Maariv, January 13, 1955, 3; see also Kornblit, “Be’ayat shikum ha-asir ha-mishtahrer,” 152, and Brauer, “Shikum avaryanim,” 265.
44. “Beit ha-sohar – ‘beit haroshet le-poshi’im [The Prison: ‘Crime Factory’],” Maariv, March 25, 1951, 3. See also note 35.
45. Shilansky, Be-kele yehudi, 194-195. Minutes of the 21st Session of the Knesset Committee, First Knesset, August 23, 1949, Knesset Archives.
46. Bilsky, “‘Lifnei zeh loh avarnu al gderot,’” 161.
47. Rachel Levin, a four-and-a-half-year-old girl, was raped and murdered in 1953. The affair shocked the community and received extensive media coverage.
48. Rozin, “Infiltration,” 448.
49. See note 30.
50. Minutes of the meeting of the Executive Board of the Jewish Agency for Israel, November 5, 1951, Israeli Defense Force Archives, S100/937. The Law of Return, 1950, allowed denying the right to immigrate to a person with a criminal past who is liable to endanger public safety (S. 2(b)(3)). The provision was sparingly applied.
51. Timor, “Hitpathut batei ha-sohar,” 311.
52. Weinstock, “Ha-asira ha-amitit: ha-soheret [The Real Prisoner: The Warden],” Maariv, January 25, 1952, 4. Weinstock, “Mashehu rakuv be-‘Neve Tirtza’ [Something rotten at ‘Neve Tirtza’],” Maariv, January 1, 1954, 7.
53. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting of August 31, 1958, 55.
54. Shilansky, Be-kele yehudi, 194-195. During this period, wardens in other countries also expressed great frustration given the wide use of modern penology in prisons, ignoring the wardens’ experience and the security requirements of prisons. See Liebling, Price, and Shefer, The Prison Officer.
55. See, for example, Minister Sheetrit’s statement: “The prisons were not initially built for this function. We took a stable intended for horses and made cells in it for prison guards to save money for the state.” Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, September 21, 1958, 33.
56. Solomon, “The situation in prisons,” ISA P-1980/32 (1951) (Solomon Report).
57. Sh. Shehori, “Asirim be-Israel [Prisoners in Israel],” Davar, April 9, 1954, 3.
58. ”1140 asirim kluim be-batei ha-sohar [1140 prisoners are serving time in prisons],” Herut, March 26, 1954, 8. The disturbing resemblance between this sign and the one at the entrance to Auschwitz, “Arbeit Macht Frei,” justifies a separate discussion. I note here briefly only the fact that it largely reflects the centrality of labor values in general, and in the rehabilitation of prisoners in particular, both in Nazi Germany, where it served as a sign designed to camouflage the real goals of the camp, and in Israel in its early years, where it represented a genuine attempt at creating a prisoner rehabilitation system.
59. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 31, 1958, 62.
60. Halpern, “Ovdot sotzialiyot,” 61.
61. Hermon, “Curriculum vitae.” Hebrew University Archives.
62. Dov Shoval, “Haifa ha-ivrit le-ma’an ha-yeled ha-azuv [Jewish Haifa for the Abandoned Child],” Mishmar, July 17, 1949, 2.
63. “Melakha le-ne’arim olim [Work for immigrant youths],” Herut, July 31, 1952, 4.
64. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 31, 1958, 63.
65. “Natziv batei ha-sohar nikhnas le-tafkido [The Commissioner of Prisons takes office],” Maariv, September 15, 1952, 3.
66. “Merkaz hakhshara le-soharim niftah be-Ramla [Training center for prison guards opens in Ramla],” Herut, October 5, 1956, 8.
67. “Asirim ovdim yekablu sakhar [Working prisoners will receive wages],” Shearim, October 4, 1954, 4.
68. Without author or title, Herut, August 17, 1954, 4; “Mishlahat Israel tishtatef ba-kongress le-meni’at psha’im [The Israeli delegation will participate at congress for prevention of crime],” Herut, August 9, 1955, 4. “Kongress ha-pesh’a [The crime congress],” Herut, August 23, 1955, 1.
69. “Be’ayat h-tipul be-avaryanim” Problems of Criminals’ Accountability. Report of the Israeli Delegation at International Conferences in August-September 1955, as presented at the seminar on February 9, 1956, at the American Zionist House in Tel Aviv, 37 (1956).
70. Ibid., 33-40.
71. Ibid., 39.
72. Ibid., 30.
73. Inmates worked in workshops set up in prisons, in agriculture, and did janitorial work. In Jaffa, inmates were sent to work at the police station. Minutes No. B/3, Committee on Internal Affairs, First Knesset, November 28, 1950, 6.
https://fs.knesset.gov.il//1/Committees/1_ptv_398138.PDF. Accessed May 30, 2023.
74. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 3, 1958, 24. For Shilansky’s experience working in jail as an essential worker, see note 45, 184-194.
75. Korn, “kriminalizatzia shel konflikt politi,” 715.
76. Report of the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission into the Detainees in the Jalami Camp (1951).
77. For salary steps, see the IPS Standing Orders, Vol. 7, 16, No. 22, October 2, 1955. ISA G-5695/7
78. “Din ve-heshbon shel ha-ve’ada le-hakirat takrit kele Shata [Report of the Commission for the Investigation of the Shata Prison Incident],” 1958, 16-17. ISA, ISA-justice-justice-000rbpi (hereinafter: the Etzioni Report).
79. “Ha-boreah alul le-hitafes kol rega [The fugitive may be caught at any moment],” Maariv, September 15, 1952, 3. “Ha-asir barah li-knot coniak … [The prisoner ran away to buy cognac…]” Herut, December 16, 1957, 4. “Tima’na yetziat asirim mi-mahane ‘Ma’asiyahu’ Inmates will be prevented from leaving the ‘Ma’asiyahu’ camp,” Ha-Tzofe, December 17, 1957, 3. “Rav-soher ve-soher – le-maasar [Warden and guard – to prison],” Ma’ariv, September 16, 1957, 1.
80. Etzioni Report, 13.
81. Bracha, “Safek mesakanim, safek mesukanim,” 333.
82. Solomon Report.
83. Letter by Major Y. Lavie, Head of the Military Government, to the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Arab Affairs, October 30, 1950, Knesset Archives. I thank Dr. Gilad Natan, who made it available to me.
84. Sheetrit, B. “Overview of the problem of infiltrators in prisons,” date unknown (probably 1951-1952). ISA IP-2256/25
85. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 3, 1958, 38.
86. Summary of the meeting of the Commission for the Establishment of a Detention Camp for Infiltrators, October 30, 1952. ISA IP-2256/25
87. Ibid., 38.
88. Ibid., 39.
89. Ibid., 86.
90. Etzioni Report, 19.
91. “merida be-Shata [Rebellion at Shata],” Ha-olam Ha-Zeh, August 6, 1958, 5.
92. “Ben ratzah et aviv be-P”T [Son murdered his father in Petah Tikva],” Al Ha-Mishmar, May 22, 1953, 1; “Ben ratzah et aviv be-Petah Tikva [Son murdered his father in Petah Tikva],” Ha-Boker, May 22, 1953, 1.
93. “Mafteah heder ha-neshek – bi-sde ha-tiras [The key to the armory – in the cornfield],” Davar, August 15, 1958, 7.
94. Report by Ziv-El, Y., Assistant District Manager, Commander of the Jezreel Sub-district, to the Commander of the Northern District. “Doh hakirat ha-briha mi-Shata hashlama l-doh ha-rishoni [Report on the Investigation of the Escape from Shata: Supplement to the Preliminary Report],” August 10, 1958. ISA IP-136/12.
95. Ibid., 9.
96. Etzioni Report, 3.
97. Ibid, 4.
98. Shaul Ben-Haim. “Soharei kele Shata pathu sgor pihem [Shata prison guards opened their closed mouths],” Yedioth Ahronoth, September 19, 1958, 6.
99. Life in the Shata prison before the uprising justifies a separate study, but this article is not intended to create an idealization for an oppressive system of incarceration, of the hard work of prisoners in the quarry, and especially of an incarceration facility that reflected the depth of the national rift. Yet, testimonies before the commission of inquiry reveal descriptions of prisoners and wardens jointly attending to daily activities in which Jewish and Arab inmates crossed the boundaries of the national divide. See, for example, Merhavi’s testimony before the committee: “I would live with them. Sometimes I sat and ate with them, and laughed with them.” Minute August 14, 1958, p. 81.
Even the descriptions of the problematic behavior of the deputy director of Shata prison, Cubany, who used to record the songs of prisoners in Arabic, reflect a complex picture: abuse of authority on one hand, alongside a longing for the Arab culture to which he returned through them, on the other. This is also reflected in one of the testimonies according to which “the deputy director valued the prisoners more than the jailers.” “Haashamot hamurot be-fi ha-edim al ha-sdarim be-beit ha-sohar be-Shata [Serious allegations by witnesses about arrangements in the Shata prison],” Herut August 15, 1958, 1.
100. Letter from the Director of the Public Works Department to the Director General of the Ministry of Labor, May 13, 1954. ISA G-6153/19, 6.
101. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 3, 1958, 37.
102. Etzioni Report, 6.
103. See note 91.
104. Etzioni Report, 4.
105. Prisoners at Maasiyahu prison were also given the key to the internal gate. This was both the result of the rehabilitative approach, which encourages trusting the prisoners, and because it helped reduce the expenses of the guards’ wages. See note 45, 195.
106. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 3, 1958, 37.
107. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 3, 1958, 34.
108. “Kria la-tzibur le-ma’an shikumo shel ha-asir ha-mishtahrer [Call on the public to act for the rehabilitation of released prisoners],” Herut, January 30, 1956, 4.
109. Bloch, Apologia al ha-historia, 71.
110. Etzioni Report, 14.
111. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 3, 1958, 34.
112. For further details, see Alyagon Darr and Er’el, “Conflicting Uses.”
113. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 3, 1958, 34.
114. See note 91, 6.
115. “Ha-tove’a darash le-harshi’a et ha-neesham be-retzah aviv Merhavi [The prosecutor demanded to convict the defendant of the murder of his father, Merhavi],” Ha-Tzofe, December 1, 1953, 4. “Ya’akov Merhavi nidon la-mavet al retzah aviv [Ya’akov Merhavi was sentenced to death for the murder of his father],” Shearim, December 30, 1953, 4. Gabriel Strassman, “Ha-nasi hefhit le-eser shanim maasar olam shel nidonei retzah [The President reduced the sentences of people convicted of murder to prison sentences of ten years to life],” Maariv, April 18, 1958, 1.
116. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 3, 1958, 24.
117. See note 90, 7.
118. Letter from Ya’akov Glick to the Prime Minister, “Ze’aka el ha-mit’anyenim be-farashat Shata [Appeal to those interested in the Shata affair],” October 30, 1958. ISA C-4529/15.
119. Smadar Perry, “Shuvo shel ha-meragel ha-mitzri [Return of an Egyptian spy],” Yedioth Ahronoth, September 2, 1994, 8.
120. Henceforth the description of the revolt is based on the information included in the Etzioni report, unless otherwise stated.
121. Shraga Har-Gil, “Sohen kaful she-nekhshal [Failed double agent],” Davar, August 8, 1958, 16.
122. Telushkin, Jewish Humor; Greenspoon, ed., Jews and Humor.
123. Rozin, “Ha-mivak al ha-tzneh,” 81, 91.
124. “Merida be-Shata [Rebellion at Shata],” Ha-Olam Ha-Zeh, August 6, 1958, 1.
125. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 31, 1958, 50.
126. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, September 21, 1958, 27.
127. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, August 3, 1958, 40.
128. Ibid., 35-36.
129. For a further discussion of the character of Etzioni, see Rubinstein, “Le-zekher ha-shofet Moshe Etzioni,” 401, 402.
130. “Sohen kaful she-nekhshal [Failed double agent],” Davar August 8, 1958, 16.
131. “Ve’dat Shata hehela ba-hakira [The Shata Commission has begun an investigation],” Herut August 11, 1958, 1; “Be-Shata haya nisayon kodem le-mered [Shata has had an earlier attempt at rebellion],” Davar August 14, 1958, 2.
132. “Atid sherut batei ha-sohar yidun ha-yom bein sar ha-mishtara la-ve’ada [The future of the prison service will be discussed today by the Minister of Police and the Commission],” La-Merkhav, August 21, 1958, 4.
133. Shaul Ben-Haim. “Soharei kele Shata pathu sgor pihem [Shata prison guards opened their closed mouths],” Yedioth Ahronoth, September 19, 1958, 6.
134. See note 93.
135. “Ve’adat hakira le-inyan takrit kele Shata [Commission of Inquiry regarding the Shata Incident],” August 11, 1958, ISA ISA-IsraelPolice-headquarters-R0000jjq.
136. Ariela Reuveni, “Ha-shita be-okhrei Shata [The broken method at Shata],” Davar, August 20, 1958, 4.
137. For a discussion of the way in which emotions were constructed using political tools in the early years of the state of Israel, see Rozin, “Infiltration,” 448. For a discussion of the changes that have taken place in this area in the second decade compared to the first, see Rozin, “Pahad be-tzel,” 81.
138. Mosse, Fallen Soldiers.
139. For a description of this practice in 1948 war, see: Vishnitzer, “‘Ma’oz shel borut ve-pahdanut,’” 91.
140. Ibid.
141. Uri Dan, “Ha-soharim ke-gvarim… ve-akhbarim [The wardens as men… and mice],” Maariv, August 12, 1958, 2.
142. Minutes of the Etzioni Commission, August 11, 1958, 30.
143. Ibid., 31.
144. Ibid., 37-38.
145. Haifa correspondent of Davar, “Shlila ve-hiyuv be-hitnahagut ha-soharim [Negative and positive in the wardens’ behavior],” Davar, August 12, 1958, 2.
146. Y.R. “mi ahra’i le-khol ze? [Who is responsible for all this?]” Shearim, August 29, 1958, 2.
147. Ariela Reuveni, “Ha-shita be-okhrei Shata [The broken method at Shata],” Davar August 20, 1958, 4.
148. “Likuim yesodiim be-sidrei ha-bitahon nitgalo be-hakirat ha-briha mi-Shata [Fundamental deficiencies in security arrangements were discovered in the investigation of the escape from Shata],” Ha-Boker August 12, 1958, 1.
149. “Mevuha, hoser ye’ilut ve-hoser hakhshara shel ha-soharim garmu le-ason Shata [Embarrassment, inefficiency and lack of training of the guards caused a disaster],” Herut, August 12, 1958, 1.
150. “Ha-asirim ha-yehudim be-Shata mesaprim al leil ha-mered [The Jewish prisoners at ‘Shata’ tell of ‘Night of the Rebellion,’]” Haaretz, August 15, 1958, 11.
151. “Haashamot hamurot be-fi ha-adim al ha-sdarim be-beit ha-sohar Shata [Serious allegations by witnesses about arrangements in the Shata prison],” Herut, August 15, 1958, 1.
152. Ibid.
153. “Sar ha-mishtara mode le-havrei ve’adat Shata [The Minister of Police thanks the members of the Shata Commission],” Herut, August 31, 1958, 4.
154. Etzioni Report, 12.
155. Ibid., 21.
156. Ibid., 16.
157. Ibid., 21-24.
158. Ibid., 14.
159. Ibid., 17.
160. Ibid., 23.
161. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, September 21, 1958, 24.
162. Yossi Beilin, “[batei sohar ve-ha-nekuda ha-yehudit] Prisons and the Jewish point,” Davar, December 12, 1973, 37.
163. For these disparities, see Lisk, “Eretz Yisrael ha-rishona,” 1.
164. Aharon Dolev, “Mi-rehov ha-samim le-kele Shata [From drug street to Shata prison],” Maariv, August 8, 1958, 2.
165. Z. David, “Mikrehu shel Ya’akov Merhavi [The Case of Ya’akov Merhavi],” Davar, August 8, 1958, 4.
166. Ram Evron, “Mikuah bi-mkom vikuah [Bargaining instead of arguing],” Maariv, September 12, 1958, 12.
167. See note 151.
168. Vera Elyashiv, “Merhavi le-haganat ha-tipul ha-psikhologi [Merhavi defends psychological therapy],” Davar, August 27, 1958, 4. See also an interview with Merhavi on the radio: Ram Evron, “Maazinei ha-maazin: hiyuvi u-ve-khol zot me’anyen [Listener’s listeners: Positive and yet interesting],” Maariv, September 19, 1958, 12; B. Ofer, “Tfilot ha-sliha ve-ha-hodaya shel Ya’akov Merhavi [Merhavi’s prayers of forgiveness and thanksgiving],” Maariv, September 25, 1958, 2.
169. “Nashim, shira, ve-yain – be-hakirat ha-hitpartzut be-Shata [Women, Wine, and Songs – Investigating the outbreak at Shata],” Maariv, August 15, 1958, 2.
170. “Ve’adat ha-hakira tesayer ha-yom be-vatei ha-kele be-Ramla u-ve-Tel Mond [The Commission of Inquiry will tour the prisons in Ramla and Tel Mond today],” La-Merhav, August 15, 1958, 10.
171. “Ya’akov Merhavi kibel hanina [Ya’akov Merhavi was pardoned],” La-Merhav, September 20, 1958, 4.
172. “Merhavi shuhrar ha-boker me-ha-kele [Merhavi was released this morning from prison],” Maariv, September 23, 1958, 1.
173. See Eaton, supra n. 30. The statement is cited in the Introduction to the book, without providing a page number.
174. Minutes of Cabinet Meeting, September 21, 1958.
175. Ibid., 33.
176. Ibid., 24.
177. Ibid., 46.
178. Timor, “Hitpathut batei ha-sohar,” 7, 12.
179. “Ve’ada memshaltit hokeret be-meora’ot kele Yerushalaim [Government commission investigates events at Jerusalem prison],” Davar, January 30, 1947, 1.
180. “A. Nir (Klapper) hoshal le-Shirut Batei Ha-Sohar [A. Nir (Klapper) was loaned to the Prison Service],” Davar, September 3, 1958, 2. “Ha-katzin Nir omed le-hitmanot ke-natzin batei ha-sohar [Officer Nir is about to be appointed Commissioner of Prisons],” Maariv, October 10, 1958, 1. A. Dolev, “Me-asir le-natziv batei ha-sohar [From prisoner to Commissioner of Prisons],” Maariv, October 13, 1958, 2.
181. For a further discussion of the character of Aryeh Nir, see Shmuel Shai, “Dma’ot shel avaryan [A criminal’s tears],” Davar, December 6, 1968, 16.
182. Shimon Pines, “Ha-mistanenim ha-shfutim hu’avru le-beit sohar merkazi ‘ay sham’ [The convicted infiltrators were transferred to a prison ‘somewhere’ in the center of the country],” Davar, August 3, 1959, 4.
183. Ibid.
184. Shoham and Shavit. Averot ve-onashim, 215.
185. Shimon Pines “Ha-mistanenim ha-shfutim hu’avru le-beit sohar merkazi ‘ay sham’ [The convicted infiltrators were transferred to a prison ‘somewhere’ in the center of the country],” Davar, August 3, 1959, 4.
186. See note 162.
187. Ibid.
188. Levenkron, “This is the fate of the pioneering prostitute.”
189. Geva, “Mered kele Shata – ha-sipur ha-amiti [Uprising in Shata prison: The True Story],” IPS Magazine (Roim Shabas), October 25, 2009.
190. Israel Police, Annual Report 1958, 87-88 (1959).
https://www.policemuseum.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/israel_police_yearly_report_1958.pdf. Accessed June 1, 2023.
191. The Palestinian national awakening in Jordan during this period, which translated into opposition activity, raised numerous concerns in the Jordanian government, which apparently did not approve of the rebels’ arrival there. For the situation in Jordan during this period, see Shemesh, Palestinian National Revival, 115-338.
192. Undated telegram. RE: “Retzu’at Aza, borhei kele Shata [Gaza Strip, fugitives from Shata prison],” ISA IP-216/17.
193. “boreah mi-kele Shata nitfas ke-mistanen [Escapee from Shata prison was apprehended as an infiltrator],” La-Merhav, September 9, 1959, 1.
194. ISA IP-2569/30.
195. Letter from Commander Ephraim Hofstatter, Head of the Investigations Department, to station commanders. (including the Gaza and northern Sinai sub-districts), September 27, 1967), ISA IP-2699/19.
196. Rephael Bashan, “Reayon ha-shavu’a im: Aryeh Nir, natziv Sherut Batei Ha-Sohar: ‘ain af beit kele batuah ba-medina [This week’s interview with Aryeh Nir, Commissioner of the Prison Services. ‘There is not one safe prison in the country!]’” Maariv, June 2, 1961, 10.
197. “Basis Eyal a”s Gondar Aryeh Nir [Eyal base named after Commissioner Aryeh Nir],” Davar, June 27, 1978, 4.
198. See note 61.
199. See, e.g., Weisburd et alia, “Reinforcing the Impact of Work Release on Prisoners Recidivism,” 241.
200. See note 119.
201. Geva, “Mered kele Shata – ha-sipur ha-amiti.”
202. G.S.G., “Ha-sof ha-mar [The Bitter End],” Herut, December 28, 1962, 4.
203. Goldberg, Beit ha-sohar, 187-200.
204. Avi Ashkenazi & Yossi Eli, “Mehablim hafru minhara kedei le-himalet mi-Kele Shata [Terrorists dug a tunnel to escape from Shata prison],” Walla, June 13, 2014, https://news.walla.co.il/item/2755037. Accessed May 14, 2023.
205. Amira Hass “Be-Jenin smehim u-mefahadim: Avuram ha-gvul bein haim ve-mavet dak ve-pa’amim rabot who over derekh ha-kele [In Jenin, people are happy and afraid: for them, the line between life and death is thin, and it often passes through prison]” Haaretz, September 10, 2021.
https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2021-09-10/ty-article/.premium/0000017f-dc73-d3ff-a7ff-fdf3f3b90000. Accessed June 1, 2023.
206. Kennet, Ve’dat ha-hakira.
207. Reports of the Public Defense regarding the conditions of detention and imprisonment, 2001-. 2020. https://www.gov.il/he/departments/publications/reports/public_defender_detention_and_imprisonment_conditions_reports
208. HCJ 1892/14, Association for Civil Rights v. Minister of Internal Security (ruling dated June 13, 2017).
209. Ministry of Justice, “Ha-ve’ada ha-tziburit le-bhinat mediniyut ha-anisha ve-ha-tipul be-avaryamin [Public Commission for the Examination of the Policy of Punishment and Treatment of Criminals].” https://www.aac.ac.il/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2019/07/%D7%93%D7%95%D7%97-%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%A4%D7%99-%D7%97%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%9D-%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%A8.pdf. Accessed May 29, 2023.
210. “Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.” Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, 4.
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Nomi Levenkron
Dr. Nomi Levenkron is a lecturer at Kinneret College, School of Multidisciplinary Studies, and a postdoctoral student in the Faculty of Law at Bar Ilan University. Her areas of research and teaching are human trafficking, police and policing, and social and legal history. Since 2017, she is the editor of the Journal ”Police and History”.