Imre° Reviczky

REVICZKY, IMRE° (1897–1957), Hungarian colonel; commander of the East Hungarian (Transylvanian) brigade of the labor battalions during World War II. Reviczky had about 30,000 Jewish forced laborers under his command, to which he was appointed in 1943. From the first he opposed every attempt to maltreat them, granted interviews to their relatives, and assisted them whenever possible. Reviczky was especially helpful after the German invasion of Hungary, when conscription orders were issued to all male ghetto inmates, regardless of age. On the approach of the Red Army, Reviczky dispersed the brigade in the neighborhood, and instead of sending the Jews to Germany, he loaded the wagons for their transport with lumber. When the Germans discovered Reviczky's stratagem, they sought to arrest him. He tried to escape with his staff, but was caught and sent to *Dachau. After the war Reviczky served in the Hungarian army but was later dismissed. He had to work at manual labor until he was granted a pension. He was recognized in 1966 by *Yad Vashem as one of the *Righteous of the Nations (Ḥasidei Ummot ha-Olam).

Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.