Havivah Reik

(1914-1944)

Havivah Reik was born in a small village in Slovakia. She moved to Eretz Yisrael in 1939 and joined Kibbutz Ma’anit of HaShomer HaTza’ir. In 1942 she joined the Palmach, and one year later volunteered for the parachute unit, run by the British Army in conjunction with the Jewish Agency. The objective of this unit was to infiltrate enemy territory in order to help the Allied efforts in Europe and establish contact with partisan resistance fighters in an attempt to aid beleaguered Jewish communities. Over 250 volunteers trained for the unit; Reik was one of thirty-three who actually were parachuted into Europe.

Reik, one of four Haganah paratroopers to reach Slovakia, was parachuted on September 21, 1944. Because of her familiarity with the area, she was dropped close to her native village, which was the center of Slovak resistance. Reik's immediate goal was to establish contact with the “Working Group,” a secret Jewish rescue operation, but she arrived after the group had been deported. For several weeks she worked in Slovak villages to assist the Jewish resistance, and with the arrival of the Nazis to the area at the end of October, she escaped to the mountains with other Jewish fighters. Within one week she was captured by the Nazis, and was executed on November 20, 1944.

In addition to Havivah Reik, eleven paratroopers were caught, and six of them executed. Kibbutz Lahavot Havivah was named for Reik.