Ottó Komoly (also known as Nathan Kohn) (26 March 1892 – 1 January 1945) was a Hungarian Jewish engineer, officer,

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

, and humanitarian leader in Hungary. He is credited with saving thousands of children during the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

in World War II.

Early career

Educated as an engineer, Komoly was drafted in the Hungarian Army in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He obtained the rank of Lieutenant, was injured in action and subsequently decorated. After the war, his military honors gave him credibility and a high status in the Hungarian society. Thus, he was excluded from most of the prosecution that other Jews suffered in the buildup to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. His family was considering emigration to Palestine in 1939, but he decided to stay in Hungary to help local Jews escape persecution by using his status and influence.

Political and Rescue activities

Komoly became the Chairman of the Zionist Federation in Hungary, where his father was previously the chairman. Together with Rudolf Kasztner he created the Aid and Rescue Committee, which provided assistance to Jews fleeing prosecution in Poland and Hungary.SHOAH Resource Center, www.yahvashem.org
/ref> After Germany invaded Hungary in March 1944, Komoly became the head of the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...

department in charge of helping Jewish children. With the help of the embassies of Switzerland and other neutral countries, the Red Cross created 35 refuges for orphaned children (mostly Jewish), where about 6000 children and 600 volunteers working there were ultimately saved from deportation and possible extermination. On the political front, Komoly activated for the neutrality of Hungary in the war. He tried to influence the government using his military status and his connection with the son of

Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya ( hu, Vitéz nagybányai Horthy Miklós; ; English: Nicholas Horthy; german: Nikolaus Horthy Ritter von Nagybánya; 18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957), was a Hungarian admiral and dictator who served as the regent ...

. Under his leadership, the Aid and Rescue Committee organized non-Jewish protests against Nazi policies in Hungary, especially among the clergy and politicians. On 1 January 1945, just before the arrival of the Soviet army in Budapest, Arrow Cross militia picked him up from his house. Nothing else is known about him, and it is assumed that he was murdered by the authorities.

Legacy

The B'nai B'rith World Center in Jerusalem and KKL-JNF held a ceremony, at its Martyr's Forest Scroll of Fire Plaza, on 8 April 2013 - Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day - to commemorate the rescue activities of Ottó Komoly, president of the Zionist Federation in Hungary during the Holocaust, as chairman of the Hungarian Jewish community's clandestine Assistance and Rescue Committee and later also director of the International Red Cross "Department A" responsible for rescuing Jewish children. Komoly oversaw the rescue of 5,000 Jewish children through the establishment of 52 shelters. In his honor, a moshav in southern Israel -

Yad Natan Yad Natan ( he, יַד נָתָן, ''lit.'' Memorial for Natan) is a moshav in southern Israel in Hevel Lakhish, near the town of Kiryat Gat. It is part of the Lakhish Regional Council. In it had a population of . History Moshav Yad Natan was f ...

, is named after him. A number of towns in Israel have streets named after him. Komoly Ottó received posthumously an award from the Hungarian government for his activities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Komoly, Otto 1945 deaths Hungarian Jews Jewish resistance members during the Holocaust 1892 births Blood for goods Hungarian civilians killed in World War II Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany Hungarian resistance members Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I