Dov Shimoni

In 1940, according to his conscription year, he was enlisted in the regular Hungarian military service and later transferred to forced labor. When the Germans invaded Hungary on 19.3.1944, he was on sick leave. The central Jewish hospital was taken over by the S.S. Shimoni, who was a German speaker, served as the assistant of the hospital director, Dr. Lajos Levi, and maintained daily contact with the S.S. officers. When the hospital was evacuated, Dov organized the smuggling of the operation room equipment to the new Jewish hospital on 44, Wesselényi Street. Shimoni had to return to his unit but deserted, returned to Budapest and continued to work in that hospital and in another hospital that he founded on 14, Rákóczi Street, outside the ghetto. The medical staff in this hospital came from Wesselényi but the auxiliary staff was enlisted by Shimoni from among his friends of the forced labor camp and other units where foreigners served. In the hospital on Rákóczi Street, many Jews, patients and staff members, were saved.

Among the volunteers who worked at the hospital, we know the names of some people, but of whom we have no further information. This is the place to commemorate them.

After the liberation of Hungary in 1945, Dov was among the founders of the “Oved” movement, national secretary of “Ha’ihud” and among the leaders of the Joint. He left Hungary in 1948 within the framework of the “Recruitment aliya”. He made aliya in 1949 and held management positions in various hospitals. He resides in Tel-Aviv.