Emanuel “Manny” Unreich – An Amazing Life Story
A tremendous thanks and gratitude to Rachelle Unreich daughter of Manny (born 1916 – died 2005) and his wife Miriam (sir name Blumenstock) a Holocaust Survivor for sharing this information about her father's amazing life story.
Manny was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. Was considered an excellent student and took up wrestling as a hobby, winning a junior title. Then he immigrated to Palestine temporarily and become a tour guide and returned to Bratislava. Eventually he enrolled into military service in the Czechoslovakian Army. His war escapades took him all over the world, including battling on the front-line at Dunkirk on D-Day. It was during one of these battles he permanently damaging his hearing. He was a fearless and courageous soldier, eventually winning a medal of bravery from Czechoslovakian president Edvard Benes. In 1949, he immigrated to Melbourne, Australia.
He was soon the partner in a car yard, until 1961, when he became a shirt manufacturer. There, he worked with his future wife, Mira, whom he married in 1965. She had three children from her first marriage and he loved these children as his own. Soon, a fourth child would come and that’s Rachelle. Manny was a charitable man, he preferred to give tzedakah anonymously. He was an observant Jew, keenly aware of his heritage. His family remembers him as a generous, kind and humble man, who was extremely proud of all of his children and grandchildren.
