Brothers For Resistance And Rescue By David Gur

Fraenkel MordehaiFraenkel MiklósBorn in Kisvárda in 1923Member of “Hashomer Hatzair”Mordehai’s family lived in Kisvárda. His father was a learned person anda Zionist activist. Mordehai joined the movement at an early age. Helearned mechanical locksmith’s work. He moved to Budapest and, from1942, assisted in the absorption of refugees, members of the movement,from Slovakia. He lived in a commune of the Sela organization. In 1944Mordehai enlisted in a forced labor unit but after a while he escaped andarrived back in Budapest. After the Germans invaded Hungary on19.3.1944, he went underground. Due to an informer he was arrestedand taken to the Sárvár camp. The attempts of his comrades in themovement to rescue him failed and eventually Mordehai was deportedand stayed at various concentration camps. Thanks to his professionalskills he managed to survive. After the liberation he returned to Budapest,resumed his activities for the movement and in 1947-1948 he was aninstructor in a Hagana training camp in Hungary. He made aliya inOctober 1948 with his wife Miriam Fleischman and joined KibbutzGa’aton. Later he left the kibbutz and lives now in Kiriyat Tivon.Mordehai Fraenkel has written an autobiography, published by the authorin Hebrew in 2008: Elu Hatmunot Shenisharu – The Images that StillHaunt. 120 pages.Fraenkel ShmuelFraenkel SándorBorn in Kisvárda in 1918Died in 1990 in IsraelMember of “Hashomer Hatzair”Shmuel studied at the Jewish high school in Munkács. In 1939 he wasdrafted in the Hungarian army and, at the end of his service in 1941, hewas enlisted in forced labor unit that was sent to Ukraine. In 1943 due toan illness, he was sent back to Hungary and joined the movement’sactivities.After the Germans invaded Hungary on 19.3.1944, he went on missionsto country towns in order the help Jews escape from the ghetto. Hearrived in his hometown, went into the ghetto and managed to saygoodbye to his parents who were not willing to take the risk of escaping.In May 1944 Shmuel moved to Romania within the framework of the tiyul.He made aliya and arrived in Kibbutz Ma’anit. In his last years he workedin the Givat Haviva archives.Brothers for Resistance and Rescue 95