Tamar Benshalom

TAMAR BENSHALOM

Brunner Kato

Born in Budapest in 1921

Died on 28.1.2003 in Israel

Member of “Hashomer Hatzair”

     

Tamar’s family moved to Dunaszerdahely (Dunajská Streda) which was then in Czechoslovakia.
In 1938 she joined the “Hashomer Hatzair” movement. She learned photography and worked as a photographer.
At the beginning of March 1944 Tamar moved to Budapest and started working for the underground. She was sent to Bácska where a large group of refugees from Poland was concentrated. She brought them money, forged documents and assisted them in whatever they needed for their stay in Hungary. After the German invasion on 19.3.1944, Tamar continued her underground activities and was sent to country towns in order to make contact with other members of the movement. In the border town of Kassa she rescued people from the ghetto. With the beginning of the tiyul to Romania, Tamar was sent to the border town of Nagyvárad (Oradea) and helped the young men cross the border. Since the police were following her, she returned to Budapest and continued her work with Rafi, her future husband.
In July 1944 Tamar traveled to Vienna in order to follow the train of the Relief and Rescue Committee. She arrived at the Strasshof camp and returned from there with vital information and letters from the detainees. She was freed in January 1945 and in December of the same year Tamar moved with her husband and their son to Prague where Rafi was in charge of the Eretz Israel office.
Tamar made aliya in 1947. She was a member of Kibbutz Ha’ogen.