Avigdor ‘Andi’ Freiman

Freiman Avigdor

Freiman András

Born in Kassa (Košice) on 23.9.1922

Died on 4.1.1945 in Budapest

Member of “Beitar”

     

Andi was the commander of “Beitar” in Hungary. Until the German invasion he took part in the smuggling of Jews from Poland and Slovakia to Budapest.
In March 1944 Andi arrived in the Hungarian capital and immediately started organizing underground cells among the members of his movement. He organized the delivery of forged documents to members of “Beitar” in the country towns. He met the comrades who arrived in Budapest and integrated them in the underground activities. Avigdor prepared shelters and obtained weapons and food.
In April 1944 he was caught with his friend Mendel. They were both taken back to Kassa and added to the thousands of Jews who were to be deported. Andi managed to escape but his friend was sent to Auschwitz. Andi returned to Budapest and resumed his underground activities. On June 8th he married his girlfriend, Ági. In May he was caught again and imprisoned in the Gestapo headquarters on Schwabs Hill in Buda. From there too he managed to escape after ten days through a prison window. He made contact with the underground of the Hungarian Communist Party and received from them a weapon that was used in the defense of the bunkers. Avigdor was caught a third time with his wife but they both managed to escape. He took an active part in the establishment of bunkers in various parts of the city.
Towards the end of 1944 he and Ági moved to the “Glass House” on 29, Vadász Street. Prior to the liberation of Budapest Andi caught scarlet fever and at the end of December he was transferred to Købányai Fertøzø Kórház (The Købánya Hospital for Contagious Diseases) located in the tenth district. He Red Army conquered the hospital on 2.1.1945 and Andy died in the hospital two days after the Red Army invaded this part of the city on 4.1.1945.