Jozef Kabiljo lived with his wife Rivka and their children Benjamin and Tova in Sarajevo, Bosnia. He ran a plumbing shop and lead pipe factory.
The Kabiljos’ apartment was damaged in German air raids in April 1941. The entire family was taken in by Muslim friends of theirs, the Hardaga family. Only a few days later, Sarajevo became part of the “Independent State of Croatia.” The Croatian fascist organization Ustasha took power and started persecuting the Jews. In the summer of 1941, Rivka Kabiljo and the children fled to Mostar in the Italian occupation zone. Jozef Kabiljo went into hiding in Sarajevo. He was discovered and arrested. The Hardaga family brought him food in prison.
In the spring of 1942, Kabiljo escaped and managed to reach the Hardagas’ home. They hid him immediately. A short time later he fled to Mostar to join his family.
After the war, Jozef Kabiljo received back the valuables he had given the Hardaga family for safekeeping. Jozef and Rivka Kabiljo and their children emigrated to Israel in 1950.