Lazlo was born on 15 November 1926 in Mátészalka, eastern Hungary, to Yaakov and Katerin. When he was a year old, his parents left the town and settled in Budapest. Every year he would spend a few months in his grandfather’s home, in his birthplace. He would then study in cheder. He also studied in public school, finishing at an Orthodox school in Budapest. From age fourteen, he attended a teachers’ seminary. In March 1944, when the Germans entered Hungary, he was taken to a work camp. He was on the Russian front, and when the opportunity presented himself, he crossed the lines and joined the Red Army, fighting in it until the end of the war. He was injured in combat and spent some time hospitalized. At the end of the war, in 1945, he returned to Budapest and completed his studies at the teachers’ seminary. In July 1946, he finished his exams, and he left in August. He worked for a few months with the Bericha Movement in Austria, Italy and Germany.
In late 1946, he joined Lehi in Paris. He took a course in light arms and minor demolitions, and he was responsible for a cache of firearms and explosives. He took part in Lehi operations in Europe.
In May 1948, he received authorization from Lehi command in Paris to make aliyah. He sailed on the Kedma, after the State has been established. Upon reaching the Land of Israel, he enlisted in the IDF and was attached to the Jerusalem Brigade, fighting with it until autumn 1948. He asked to be transferred to the 8th Brigade, and served in Battalion 82. He received an Article 8 discharge in August 1949. He served until age 55 as a reservist in the patrol unit of the 2nd Brigade, fighting in every one of Israel’s wars.
After his demobilization, he settled in Haifa, where he worked in a shipyard. He then went to work on a ZIM ship, until 1951. In 1952, he went to work for the Jewish Agency in the Upper Galilee, until 1958. He then worked at the “Dagon” Israel Granaries Company, until he retired.
He lives in Haifa with his wife Gabby née Wasserman. They have a daughter, Miriam.