From Holocaust Survivor to Israeli Police Commander

Noemi Shadmi was born in 1931 in Debrecen, Hungary. In 1944, Noemi's father and older brother were taken to a forced labor camp and murdered. In fall 1944 Noemi's mother was taken away at gunpoint. Looking helplessly at the children, she told Noemi, "Take good care of your little brother, I trust you.". In the ghetto, Noemi witnessed mass death from starvation, cold and random shootings by the SS and Arrow Cross. When the Red Army liberated the city, Noemi and her brother returned to their home, only to find it occupied by strangers who threw them out.
After the war, Noemi and her brother tried to get to Israel, but the ship was intercepted and its passengers sent to a detention camp in Cyprus. A year later, in October 1947, she finally arrived, settling in Kibbutz Kfar Giladi.. In 1948, Noemi enlisted in the IDF, serving as a combat officer and receiving an award for bravery. Noemi served in the Israel Police for 20 years, retiring with the rank of commander.