Joseph Reisman

רייזמן יוסף

Reismann József

Born in Kisvárda on 26.2.1923

Died on 30.8.1989 in Israel

Member of “Dror Habonim”

In April 1944, in Kisvárda, Joseph was enlisted in a forced labor unit and sent to Kassa. He ran away from the service thanks to forged documents he had received from Efra and Tzippi Agmon. He arrived in the “Glass House” on Vadász Street in Budapest and became a liaison person under a fictitious identity. He moved around the city riding a motorbike and took food and documents to the people who needed them. He was sent by Simha Hunwald to release five comrades who were being deported and already inside a wagon. With great courage he succeeded in setting them free and taking them to the “Glass House”. Joseph joined the ranks of the fascist unit, “Skulls of the Dead”, and within this framework he saved Jews. When the city was liberated, Joseph was caught by Russian soldiers while he was wearing a Hungarian officer’s uniform. He managed to escape and arrived in Kisvárda where the Russians were already in control. He served as the liaison officer between the Russians and the Hungarians. He succeeded in bringing about the arrest of more than one fascist. Joseph left Kisvárda and joined the “Dror Habonim” movement in Budapest. He was active within the framework of the B’riha. From 1948 he worked for the Eretz-Israel Office in Budapest.
At the beginning of 1949 Joseph made aliya with his wife, Miriam. He worked as the manager of the supply and food services in El-Al.