Brothers for Resistance and Rescue 1 - CENDO

when it became part of the “World Movement”, she quit and was among
the founders of “Netzah” (Scout Zionist youth movement).
In 1931 Hansi was a member of an “Ihud Mapa’i” mission to Vienna in
order to meet other similar movements in Austria. She was engaged in
educational activities and in setting up hahsharot.
In 1935 she married Joel Brand.
As of 1941 Hansi gave assistance to Jewish refugees who arrived in
Hungary from Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovakia. Hansi and Joel’s
house and hearts were open to all the refugees, many of whom asked for
their help.
On 19.5.1944 Joel went on a mission to Istanbul for the Relief and
Rescue Committee, with the support of Adolf Eichmann, in order to
present to the representatives of the Yishuv the deal of “Goods for
Blood”. Before his departure, Joel introduced Hansi to Eichmann, who
entrusted her with being the contact person between the Jews and
himself.
In addition to her role as liaison officer Hansi obtained and distributed
forged documents and helped hide the forgery laboratory. On May 27th
she was arrested by the Hungarian secret police who wanted information
about the laboratory, the documents and, especially, about her husband’s
mission to Istanbul. Hansi was interrogated and tortured but did not
reveal anything. About Joel’s mission, she maintained that he was
traveling in order to buy provisions for the Germans. In the end she was
released due to the intervention of the Germans who did not want the
Hungarians to know the details of Joel’s mission.
After her release Hansi resumed her activities and dealt mainly with
financial matters in order to insure the existence of the children’s houses.
At the beginning of January 1945 Hansi and her two sons went into
hiding with a Christian family until the city was liberated by the Red Army.
The whole family made aliya. At first they lived in Kibbutz Givat Haim but
later settled down in Tel-Aviv. Joel published his book “On a mission for
the sentenced to death” and, together, they published another book, “The
Devil and the Soul”.
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