Brothers For Resistance And Rescue By David Gur

Benshalom RafiFriedl Richárd, FrigyesBorn in Kolozsvár (Cluj) on 6.5.1920Died on 5.9.1996 in IsraelMember of “Hashomer Hatzair”Rafi’s father died when he was three years old. In 1931 he moved toGermany with his mother and brother and then, in 1933, they moved toBratislava. At the age of fourteen Rafi joined the “Hashomer Hatzair”movement and in 1937 he was sent to Prague to set up a ken there.Rafi was enlisted in the Slovak army and served as a photographer. In1941 he went underground in Trenčin. On the last night of 1943 thecouncil of the movement decided that Rafi, together with Pil (Alpan), whoboth spoke Hungarian, would move to Hungary in order to work in theunderground in the organization of the movement and the rescue ofJews. After the German invasion on 19.3.1944, Rafi represented themovement and the Zionist youth movements underground in the JewishZionist institutions. He had contacts with the military, the police and non-Jewish opposition groups. Rafi, who spoke fluent German and lookedAryan, excelled in negotiations and in making allies. He freed prisonersfrom jails. Tamra, his girlfriend, who later became his wife, was a loyalpartner in his activities.After the liberation of Hungary, Rafi moved to Prague and founded theEretz Israel office. In 1947 he made aliya with Tamar and his son Dannyand joined Kibbutz Ha’ogen. Rafi was an active member of his kibbutzand of the Kibbutz Artzi. He enrolled in the Israeli Foreign Service andserved as the first secretary at the Israeli Embassy in Czechoslovakiaand as the Israeli Ambassador in Mali, Cambodia and Romania.In 1977 his book “We Struggled for Life” was published (Moreshet andSifriat Hapoalim Publishing House). In this book Rafi documented anddescribed the Zionist youth movements underground operations inHungary (the English translation and the new edition in Hebrew werepublished in 2001). He was a member of the Society for the Research ofthe History of Zionist Youth Movements in Hungary.Rafi Benshalom is the author of the authentic and unique composition :Ne'evaknu Lema'an Hahayim ( We Struggled for Life ) published by theSifriat Hapoalim in 1978 and in 1979. ( Hebrew ) Reprinted by 'TheSociety for the Research of the History of the Zionist Youth Movement inHungary' in 2001.The book translated to English - Rafi Benshalom: WeStruggled for Life. Published by 'The Society for the Research of theHistory of the Zionist Youth Movement in Hungary' - in Israel in 2001.Brothers for Resistance and Rescue 56