IMOD Unveils Memorial Stones in Prague for Jewish Parachutists Haviva Reik and Rafael Reiss, Murdered by the Nazis in WWII

The Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) has completed a years-long commemoration project, placing memorial stones in a Prague cemetery for Haviva Reik and Rafael Reiss, two Jewish parachutists from pre-state Israel who were murdered by the Nazis during World War II. The project was led by Aryeh Mo'alem, head of the Ministry's Families, Commemoration and Heritage Department.

Reik and Reiss were part of a group of parachutists from the Yishuv, the pre-state Jewish community, who volunteered to jump behind enemy lines during the war. They were sent to help European Jews, link up with Allied forces, and work alongside resistance fighters and partisans. Twelve members of the group were captured by the Nazis; seven, including Reik and Reiss, were executed.

The new memorial stones mark the site in Prague where the two were buried after their deaths, before their remains were later brought to Israel for burial.

The memorials were made possible by extensive coordination between the Ministry's Families, Commemoration and Heritage Department and Czech authorities. Officials called the project historically and nationally significant, underscoring Israel's commitment to keeping the memory of the soldiers alive decades after their deaths.

The ceremony was attended by the Czech Minister of Defense, the Czech Chief of General Staff, Israel's Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Czech government representatives, a Ministry of Defense delegation led by Mo'alem, and relatives of the parachutists.