From Palestine to the Slovak uprising
Haviva Reik was born in Slovakia and left for Mandatory Palestine before the war. In 1944 she returned to Europe as part of a British mission. She, Rafael Reiss, and other paratroopers operated in the territory of the Slovak National Uprising. Their military assignment quickly became connected with helping Jewish refugees who needed shelter and a route away from advancing Nazi units.
The rescue mission ended at Kremnička
After the uprising was suppressed, the group withdrew into the mountains. Reik refused to abandon people for whom she had accepted responsibility. In November 1944, Reik, Reiss, and other members of the group were captured. On November 20 they were murdered near Kremnička together with hundreds of Jewish prisoners. Their story belongs to the history of Allied operations, Jewish resistance, and rescue at the same time.
Prague was a stop between two graves
After the war, the remains of several paratroopers were moved to the British military cemetery in Prague. In 1952 the remains of Reik and Reiss were taken to Israel and buried on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. Prague is therefore not their final resting place. It marks a postwar chapter in which Czechoslovakia held their remains and publicly recognized their service.
The memorial joins Czech and Israeli memory
The new marker gives the Prague episode a visible place. For Czech visitors it opens a lesser known chapter of the Slovak uprising and British special operations. For Israelis it shows that the memory of the paratroopers is not confined to Mount Herzl. It is spread across the places where they fought, helped others, died, and travelled on their postwar journey home.
