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He was a modest activist who did not pursue honor. He was born in 1867 in Glogow near Rzeszow. He settled in Przemysl in 1890. Josef Rinde was one of the largest and most honorable merchants in the city. His wholesale toy shop was famous outside the city as well. During the interwar years, he also founded a toy manufacturing enterprise called Minerva, in which Jewish employees were employed. His communal work was especially centered in the merchants' organization. Rinde was among the founders of the merchants' bank and was a member of its directorship until the destruction. In 1925 he was also a member of the Lvov chamber of commerce as a representative of the Jewish merchants of Przemysl. As a member of the assessment committee, he protected the community of merchants from the imposition of unjust taxes. In 1928, he was elected as a member of the city council from the general Zionist faction. Josef Rinde was also a generous philanthropist. Memorial tablets were erected in the old age home and the hospital in recognition of his large donations. He was the father of a large family of four sons and three daughters. One of them was the wife of the chief rabbi of Lvov Dr. Levi Freund. A Zionist atmosphere pervaded in his home. At the time of the Soviet occupation of the city, he was forced to leave because of persecutions. He returned to Przemysl in 1942 and was imprisoned in the ghetto. He died a tragic death there in 1942: he and his wife took their own lives so as not to fall into the hands of the Nazi troops. This bio is taken from Sefer Przemysl (in English: Przemysl Memorial Book; authored by Y. Altbauer. Edited by Arie Menczer, it was published in 1964 in Tel Aviv, Israel by Irgun Yotzei Przemysl. |