Page 8 - Issue 24

The late German invasion of Hungary was intended to
secure the means of supply to the Soviet front and the
means of withdrawal of the German army. Prior to the
invasion, most of the men able to perform forced labor
were abducted.

"At one point, there were no young men left in the big
cities and those who remained were mostly refugees
from Poland and Slovakia," Alpen said. "Some had
evidence of what was happening in Auschwitz and they
began to warn the Jews. At that point, the Zionist youth
movements began to prepare for going underground.
The rest of the public, by comparison, thought the
Germans would not enter Hungary."

Although the Zionist movement in Hungary was
relatively small compared to other countries, many
Zionist youth movements operated in the country.
Prominent among them were Hashomer Hatzair, Dror,
HaNoar HaTzioni, Akiva, and others, who united on the
eve of the invasion under one body, known as the
Zionist Underground. The Underground played a crucial
role in the rescue operation.

According to Alpen, "the movements were the first to
identify the severity of the situation."

What did the movements do when they understood
that Jews were in danger?

"At the beginning of the invasion, the movement's
leadership worked mainly to save the members of the