Avraham Polack collection

Avraham Polack, a humanities student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was arrested in November 1944 and sent to a detention camp in Latrūn. It is likely that Avraham was a member of either Irgun, National Military Organization for the Land of Israel, or the Lehi, Fighters for the Freedom of Israel. Avraham’s daughter was also arrested and held in a female detention prison in Bethlehem. On October 14, 1944, after several escape attempts by detainees, the British government sent the imprisoned Irgun and Lehi underground members to detention camps in Africa. By mid-December 1944, Polack had been transferred from the Acre prison in Israel to Africa. Polack was held in various British detention camps including Carthago, Sudan; Asmara, Eritrea; and Gilgil, Kenya. During his imprisonment Polack sent detailed letters about his experiences within the camps to his family. Around 1945, Baruch Moser-Polack, Avraham’s father, established the Committee for Assisting the Families of Jewish Detainees and the Committee for the Eritrea Exiles and Their Families. It is likely that Avraham Polack returned to Israel with the other detainees in July 1948 after the declaration of Israeli independence. The Avraham Polack papers contain letters relating to the Polack family in Haifa, Israel, and in particular Avraham Polack’s imprisonment with other Irgun and Lehi members in several British detention camps in Africa from 1944-1947. The letters provide detailed descriptions of his daily life within the camps and reflect Polack’s concern for his family. Other letters relate to Avraham’s continuing education while imprisoned as well as notifications and receipts for packages and educational materials that were sent to Avraham Polack during his imprisonment. The papers also contain the correspondence of the Committee for Assisting the Families of Jewish Detainees and the Committee for the Eritrea Exiles and Their Families. These committees were founded by Baruch Moser. The Avraham Polack papers contain handwritten and typed letters relating to the Polack family in Haifa, Israel, and in particular Avraham Polack’s imprisonment with other Irgun and Lehi underground members in several British detention camps in Africa from 1944-1947. The letters were written by Polack to his family while he was imprisoned in detention camps in Carthago, Sudan, Asmara, Eritrea, and Gilgil, Kenya. The letters provided detailed descriptions of his daily life within the camps and reflect Polack’s concern for his family. Other letters concern the coordination of Avraham’s continuing education while imprisoned. Some of the letters have been censored through the process of cutting and removing sections of the letters. Correspondence from the British Council and the Criminal Investigation Department of the Palestine Police include notifications and receipts for packages and educational materials that were sent to Avraham Polack during his imprisonment in Africa. The Avraham Polack papers also contain the correspondence of Baruch Moser who established the Committee for Assisting the Families of Jewish Detainees and the Committee for the Eritrea Exiles and Their Families. The committees’ correspondence contains pleas for assistances and aid and is addressed to Jewish leaders and organizations including Haim Weizmann, the High Commissioner of the Central Secret Police; Chief Rabbinate, Mania Bialik; The Women Workers Union; The Jewish National Council; newspapers; and various lawyers.