Komoly was one of the most prominent figures of Hungarian Jewry during the Holocaust. In his adolescence he was active in the \u201cIvriya\u201d movement and later in the Student Union \u201cMaccabea\u201d.
\nHe studied engineering and was a railway engineer. In WW I he served in the Hungarian army as a lieutenant and was given decorations for excellence. Later he was upgraded to the rank of captain.
\nKomoly translated Herzl\u2019s book \u201cAltneuland\u201d from German and called it \u201c\u0150si f\u00f6ld \u00faj hon\u201d. He wrote the following books: \u201cThe Future of the Jewish People\u201d (1919), \u201cHow Shall We Build My House?\u201d (1933) and \u201cA Zionist World View\u201d (Cionista \u00e9letszeml\u00e9let).
\nIn 1940 Komoly was elected president of the Hungarian Zionist Association in Hungary and was the leader of the Relief and Rescue Committee. He supported Kasztner who made contact with the Germans in order to save Jews. Komoly also supported the underground activities of the Zionist youth movements. He had contacts with the Hungarian liberal circles, the Spanish and Swiss consulates, the Pope\u2019s representative and the Protestant clergy. He was in touch with the younger son of Horthy, the Hungarian ruler.
\nAfter the Germans invaded Hungary on 19.3.1944, Komoly worked with all his heart and strength in the rescue of Jews. He was active in setting up children\u2019s houses for Jewish children most of whom were orphans. Komoly was appointed to a high position in the International Red Cross and through this organization expanded his activities. With the rise to power of the Arrow Cross Party on 15.10.1944 he left his apartment together with his wife and moved to the Ritz Hotel where he handled the rescue issues. Komoly was taken from the hotel by Arrow Cross thugs in a devious way and his traces disappeared. In 1944 and until he disappeared, Komoly kept a diary where he described the efforts, of which he was a partner, made to save Hungarian Jewry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2979,"template":"","Underground Members_cat":[61],"class_list":["post-4604","undergroundmembers","type-undergroundmembers","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","UndergroundMembers_cat-k"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n