Pinhas was the offspring of an outstanding family of rabbis. His father was the last rabbi in his town. His whole family perished in Auschwitz. Pinhas studied in a yeshiva in Ungvár (Uzshorod) and in other places. He studied at universities in Austria and Germany and got a doctorate in political science and law. Pinhas was a member of the Zionist executive committee on behalf of “Hapoel Hamizrahi”. In 1943 he joined the “Bnei Akiva” movement. He was enlisted in a forced labor unit, ran away and arrived in Budapest. After the German invasion on 19.3.1944, Pinhas became one of the leaders of the”Bnei Akiva” movement. He operated in the “Glass House” on Vadász Street. Donning the Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross uniform he liberated Jews from the Yellow Star Houses and the Death March. After the liberation Pinhas served for some time as rabbi in Kisvárda. He was active in the revival of his movement, a member of the national leadership of “Bnei Akiva” and active within the framework of the Joint and UNRRA. Pinhas participated in the 22nd Zionist Congress in Basel. He married Sarah Stern, a Holocaust survivor who left Hungary on the train of the Relief and Rescue Committee. He was appointed as the manager of the Eretz-Israel Office in Geneva. In Switzerland he founded finance companies as well as a bank. Pinhas held a senior position in the high institutions of the Zionist movement.
