Kurt Josef (Jossie) Bem

Kurt Josef Bem: kibbutz pioneer

by David Robinson

Jossie Bem was born Kurt Josef Bem in Vienna, Austria on the 13 May 1922. He was an only child. 

The family came from Poland. Jossie’s father was a lawyer and wanted his son to study law.  However, on 12 March 1938 Nazi Germany annexed Austria in what was known as the Anschluss, (literally ‘connection’). This annexation was enthusiastically supported by most Austrians. It resulted in the German laws imposing harsh restrictions on Jews being adopted in Austria. At that time Jossie would have been just under 16 years old and the anti-Semitic laws that applied following the Anschluss would have made it impossible for him to further his studies in Austria.

In 1939 Jossie, then aged about 17, arrived in Israel. He may have been one of the 75,000 Jews the English permitted to settle in Israel, or Palestine as it was then known, between May 1939 and 1944, in accordance with the hated White Paper enacted by Neville Chamberlain to limit Jewish immigration.  It is also possible that he was smuggled into Israel.  Jossie was very reluctant to discuss much of what happened at this time with anyone, including his son Danny.

He was a founding member of Kibbutz Kfar Ruppin. This Kibbutz is in the Beit Shean Valley, located in the North and close to the border with Jordan. It is one of the ‘tower and stockade’ Kibbutzim. Jossie was amongst the group of founders of this Kibbutz who were members of the Noar HaOved movement in Germany and Austria. The Kibbutz was named after Dr Arthur Ruppin then head of the Jewish Agency’s Settlement Department who supported the initiative of these young pioneers to establish the Kibbutz in an area considered distant and dangerous.

During the first years of settlement the kibbutz members searched for a means of livelihood, conducting experiments in agriculture by cultivating the land and by creating minimal conditions for survival in an area of malarial swamps, Bedouin neighbors and practically no roads. As was the case in all lands in what was then called Palestine, the land for the Kibbutz had been purchased from Arab owners at full market price.  The British occupation authorities, being openly pro-Arab, would not have permitted Jews to force Arab owners off their lands.

Jossie described to Danny how he had to carry bags of cement on his back in the heat when building the kibbutz. Danny visited the Kibbutz on a recent visit to Israel. Initially, he was eyed with suspicion, however on being satisfied that Danny had been born on the kibbutz and that his father was Jossie, he was welcomed with open arms. Jossie is revered as a founding member, and the red tractor he drove is in the Kibbutz’s museum.  Danny met two elderly women members of the Kibbutz who had known his father.  They both said they had wanted to marry him!

Jossie met Marietta Sonenshein in Tel Aviv where Marietta was studying botany. They were married in 1944 and Danny, their only child, was born in Tel Aviv on the 2 November 1946. Jossie was a member of the Haganah, was recruited into the Israeli army and fought during the War of Independence. 

By the 1950s when still under 30, Jossie had survived the Anschluss with the harsh treatment of Jews; migrated to Israel; helped establish a kibbutz on the border with Jordan; survived the second World War (being cut off completely from his family in Austria); fought in the Israeli War of Independence; and had become aware of the tragic fate of 6 million Jews, including his own family. He was married with a young son.  At that time, Israel lived in constant threat of attack from hostile neighbouring states that had substantial resources and populations many times those of Israel.

Jossie managed to make contact with Else Blumenthal who was Marietta’s aunt, by then living in New Zealand. Else’s daughter was the late Dr Ruth Black - an extremely capable and forceful woman. Else instructed Ruth to go to Wellington and sit at the door of the Minister of Immigration and not to return without a permit for Jossie, Marietta and Danny to come to NZ to stay.

Ruth went to Wellington where by chance she ran into Hon. Ron Algie, then Minister of Education. He had been a Professor at the Auckland University and instantly recognized Ruth, whom he knew. Ruth told him she had come to Wellington on a mission to persuade the Minister of Immigration to grant an entry permit for her Israeli family. The Hon. Ron Algie is reported as saying, “We need more people like you - come into my office”.

He immediately dictated a memo to his secretary supporting Ruth’s application, telling her to return to Auckland, not to worry and that a permit would be issued. True to his word the permit was issued enabling Jossie, Marietta and Danny to settle in New Zealand.

On their arrival in 1951 Jossie initially found employment working in a chocolate factory owned by Nestle. Nestle wanted to train Jossie but he decided to leave the factory and work for Else Blumenthal’s family who had established a Danish pastry business known as the KKK in Queen St.  KKK was ‘shorthand’ for Continental Cake Kitchen, and nothing to do with the racial movement in the deep south of America. This was a very successful business being one of the first patisseries in Auckland to bake and sell Danish pastries and other continental delights which would have been quite exotic at that time in Auckland.

Following employment at the KKK, Jossie became employed by R B Davies who were the agents for Schlage locks. He then moved to Nissan Motors, which was establishing a factory in Auckland to assemble Nissan motor vehicles.  Jossie was a respected and capable employee and remained in that employment until his retirement.

The family became members of the Auckland Hebrew Congregation. Danny recalls that Jossie was then a regular attender at services and became very friendly with Rabbi Astor. He also assisted Rabbi Astor to organize one of the Rabbi’s visits to Israel.

Danny says Jossie was an amazing father who was an avid reader, particularly of world history.  He was also keen on classical music, loved to cook, and enjoyed mountain climbing.  He climbed Mt Taranaki from Dawson Falls - no mean feat when you consider that two young mountain climbers recently died on Mt Taranaki. Danny describes his father as being a ‘walking encyclopedia’ who retained an incredible amount of knowledge.

He was always an understanding father, but did not always see eye to eye with his son. On one occasion when Jossie considered Danny was not giving enough attention to his studies he told Danny if he did not work harder Danny would end up being a dustman. Danny found this to be ironical as one of his best friends is involved in a big way as a dustman with 40 employees in a large and very successful business. 

Marietta became a librarian at Auckland University. She was highly capable, being fluent in Russian, Czech, German and Ivrit (Hebrew). She eventually became head of the Russian Department. Unfortunately, she died at a very young age.

Jossie met his second wife Cathy in 2003 while they were walking their dogs, marrying in 2014. The dogs in fact met first, and after their introductory sniffs their owners introduced themselves. Jossie and Cathy travelled extensively in New Zealand, sometimes staying at a family bach in Opua. They also travelled overseas visiting Jossie’s birthplace in Vienna, and Prague. 

Jossie sadly passed away two days before his 99th birthday in May 2021. He had experienced terrible persecution and had endured the loss of families and a lifestyle that is now history. He was amongst the last of the few European Jews who survived the Second World War. Whilst relatively young he helped establish a Kibbutz which developed a malaria infested swamp into productive farm land; fought in the Israeli War of Independence successfully repelling attacks from the armies of Egypt, Trans Jordan, Lebanon and Syria; eventually settling in New Zealand.

Jossie and Marietta’s son, Danny, is a successful businessman who lives with his partner Sandy in St Heliers, Auckland.