Francis Ofner

Francis grew up in a city with a Jewish community of 5,000. The Ofners belonged to a synagogue that sponsored many social activities, from sports to care for the elderly. In 1931 Francis began law school at the University of Zagreb. While a student, he organized a service that posted on university bulletin boards the translations of speeches by Nazi leaders broadcast on the radio.

1933-39: By the time Hitler became chancellor of Germany, Francis was heavily involved in trying to unify the university's Jewish students against the Nazi threat. In 1933 he helped organize the Betar Zionist organization in Yugoslavia. They helped send immigrants illegally to Palestine, trained Jews in self-defense, and cooperated with anti-Nazi Yugoslavs to counter pro-German activities in their country.

1940-45: On March 25, 1941, Yugoslavia allied itself with Germany. Francis participated in preparations for the coup that ousted the pro-German government two days later. But by April 6, Germany and its allies had invaded Yugoslavia and the city Novi Sad, where Francis lived, was occupied by Hungarian forces. He was taken away by the Hungarians for forced labor along with most of the city's Jewish men. This saved him, for while he was gone the Gestapo came to Novi Sad to arrest him because of my anti-German activities.

In 1942 Francis fled from Budapest to Turkey. In Istanbul he was hired by the U.S. Office of War Information as the Balkan Press Liaison Officer. He immigrated to Palestine in 1945.