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

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

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

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was called a pacifier and unifier by nature by

Randolph Braham Randolph Lewis Braham (December 20, 1922 – November 25, 2018) was an American historian and political scientist, born in Romania, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the City College and The Graduate Center of the City Uni ...

who did everything possible to put an end to the perennial conflicts within and among the various Zionist groups and organizations..

Early career

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

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 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 Hungarian society, in spite of wide spread antisemitism in the country described in

History of the Jews in Hungary The history of the Jews in Hungary dates back to at least the Kingdom of Hungary, with some records even predating the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895 CE by over 600 years. Written sources prove that Jewish communities lived i ...

. Thus, he was exempted from most of the restrictions that other Jews suffered in the buildup to

. 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.

Literary background.

Ottó Komoly had an interest and gift for literary activities from an early age. When he was 15, Otto began translating Herzl’s Zionist novel “Altneuland,” into Hungarian. He wrote poems (Későn, 1917 - 'Too Late) as well as diary notes during his military service in WWI. In 1919 he published 'A Zsidó Nép Jövője' (Future of the Jewish People) . In 1925 he wrote 'Alkotás ' (Creating) reflecting on his determination to make contributions, and in 1942 'Cionista Életszemlélet' (Zionist World View). Komoly also considered the situation developing in and around Hungary and the likely consequences. He also spent a substantial amount of time in 1943-44 in creating a Memorandum (four versions are also preserved in Yad Vashem's collection) aimed at persuading the Hungarian government to alter its anti-Jewish policies. His most memorable heritage must be the set of hand-written diaries, of which the last (1944) is of truly historical importance . A combination of his professional and literary talents gave rise to his book 'Hogyan készül az én házam?' (How is my house built?).

Political and Rescue activities

Komoly became the Chairman of the Zionist Federation in Hungary in 1941, where his father was previously the chairman. Together with Rudolf Kasztner he led the

Aid and Rescue Committee The Aid and Rescue Committee, or ''Va'adat Ha-Ezrah ve-ha-Hatzalah be-Budapesht'' (''Vaada'' for short; name in ) was a small committee of Zionists in Budapest, Hungary, in 1944–1945, who helped Hungarian Jews escape the Holocaust during the Ge ...

, which provided assistance to Jews fleeing persecution in Poland and Slovakia.SHOAH Resource Center, www.yahvashem.org
/ref> After German troops entered Hungary in March 1944, Komoly's activities were intensified. The Zionists agreed that armed resistance was not a possibility in Hungary, and their actions should be targeted at ameliorating the situation of the community. Aware of the Allies' successes on both fronts against the Germans, gaining time became very important. Because of his status Ottó Komoly became the figure head in discussions with government ministers, politicians and leaders of the clergy. He refused at this stage to join the Judenrat (or JCC) set up by Eichmann. He refused an opportunity to claim places for his wife and himself to leave legally on the only train from Budapest. In October 1944, after the German supported coup d'etat by the fascist Arrow

Cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

party, he was invited to become the head of the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a aid agency, humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of Law of ...

department 'A' in charge of helping abandoned and orphaned Jewish children. With the help of the embassies of Switzerland and other neutral countries, the Red Cross created 52 refuges, where about 5500 children and the 500 volunteers were ultimately saved from deportation and possible extermination. He also became the person responsible for contact with the Swiss representative, Saly Mayer, of the

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Advert Where and how does this article resemble an WP:SOAP, advert and how should it be improved? See: Wikipedia:Spam (you might trthe Teahouseif you have questions). American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, also known as Joint or JDC, is a J ...

(or JOINT) for channelling funds to this effort into Hungary. In conjunction with groups of young Zionists, he also provided food and medication for Jewish hospitals, old age homes and the Budapest ghetto. On the political front, Komoly argued 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 (18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957) was a Hungarian admiral and statesman who was the Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946), Kingdom of Hungary Hungary between the World Wars, during the ...

. Under his leadership, the Aid and Rescue Committee organized non-Jewish protests against Nazi policies in Hungary, especially among the clergy and politicians. Following the establishment of the

Budapest Ghetto The Budapest Ghetto was a Nazi ghetto set up in Budapest, Hungary, where Jews were forced to relocate by a decree of the Government of National Unity led by the fascist Arrow Cross Party during the final stages of World War II. The ghetto existed ...

, Komoly became a member of the Central Jewish Council (JCC) to extend his effectiveness. On 1 January 1945, during the

Siege of Budapest The siege of Budapest or battle of Budapest was the 50-day-long encirclement by Soviet and Romanian forces of the Hungarian capital of Budapest, near the end of World War II. Part of the broader Budapest Offensive, the siege began when Budapes ...

, Arrow Cross militia picked him up for questioning. Nothing else is known about him, and it is assumed that he was murdered by the fascists.

Legacy

The B'nai B'rith World Center and KKL-JNF held a ceremony in Jerusalem , 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. OTTO KOMOLY - Budapest Plaque

In his honor, a

moshav A moshav (, plural ', "settlement, village") is a type of Israeli village or town or Jewish settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 and 1 ...

in southern Israel - Yad Natan, is named after him. A number of towns in Israel have streets bearing his name. In Budapest, there are plaques commemorating him and his activities on the wall of his war-time apartment building, as well as at the

Dohány Street Synagogue The Dohány Street Synagogue ( ; ; ), also known as the Great Synagogue () or Tabakgasse Synagogue (), is a Neolog Judaism, Neolog Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Dohány utca, Dohány Street in Erzsébetváros (VIIth dis ...

. A conference and exhibition was held in 2023 at the Hungarian Holocaust Memorial Centre, and the latter can be viewed at the Centre (Soul Rescuers) or downloaded from their webpage. Komoly received posthumously an award from the Hungarian government for his activities. His private diary of 1944, translated and annotated with over 500 references and contextual explanations is publishedOrphans of the Holocaust: Ottó Komoly’s Diary, Budapest 1944; Austin Macauley Publishers, 2024, 205 pp.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Komoly, Otto 1892 births 1945 deaths Hungarian Jews who died in the Holocaust Hungarian Zionists Jewish resistance members during the Holocaust 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 Members of the Jewish Council of Budapest People executed by the Government of National Unity (Hungary)