History of the Jews in Croatia
Encyclopedia
The Jewish community of Croatia
dates back to at least the 3rd century AD
, although little is known of the community until the 10th and 15th centuries. The community, over 20,000 strong on the eve of World War II
, was almost entirely destroyed in the Holocaust. After the WWII half of the survivors choose to settle in Israel
while some 2,500 live today in Croatia. That number is an estimate and it is believed that the number of Croatian Jews is larger because more than 80 percent of the 1,500 members of Zagreb's Jewish community were either born in mixed marriages or are married to a non-Jew.
Many grandchildren of Holocaust survivors have just one Jewish grandparent.
, when Roman
law allowed free movement throughout the Roman Empire
. The Jews arrived as traders and merchants. Archaeological excavations in Osijek
show a synagogue dating from the 3rd century AD
, and while there are occasional references to Jews, little is known of the Jewish communities of Croatia until the 13th century. The archaeological excavation in Solin (Salona, Roman capital of Dalmatia) show a Jewish graves from the 3rd century and the artefacts are stored in the Archaeological museum in Split. So we know that the emergence of the community in Split is from the Roman times - 3rd century. The Jews came to the Diocletian's palace after Salona was overrun by the Avars in 7th century, and they are still there. Split synagogue was built in the 16th Century into the western wall of Diocletian's palace.
, which was sent to the King Joseph of the Khazars
. This letter from the 10th century refers to the "King of the Gebalims - Slavs", see the article Miholjanec, whose country borders the country of the Hungarians. The King sent a delegation, which included "Mar (Aramaic: Lord) Shaul and Mar Joseph", to the Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III
of Córdoba. Delegates reported that mar Hisdai Amram came to the Khazar king's palace from the country where lived "Gebalims". In Hebrew "gebal" means in English "mountain". Hungarian sources reported, that a vineyard
near Miholjanec was named "master of the mountain". Croatia is represented as a country of Gebalims also in a letter of Bishop Gauderich addressed to Anastasius as a co-author of the legend of Cherson in the 9th century.
This ended in 1456, when Jews, along with most non-Catholic Croats, were forced out. There followed 200 years where there are no records of Jews in Croatia. In those 200 years Jews from Croatia were usually on diplomatic missions to Bosnia on behalf of the Republic of Venice
.
. From 1492 onward, Jewish refugees fleeing the Spanish
and Portuguese
Inquisitions arrived in Ottoman
territories, including the Balkan
provinces of Macedonia
and Bosnia
. Some of these refugees found their way to Croatia, in particular to Split
and Dubrovnik
, on the Dalmatian coast
.
. They were generally permitted to stay only a few days. In the early part of the century, the Sabor (parliament) confirmed its ban on permanent settlement when a Jewish family attempted to settle in Durdevac.
In 1753, although still officially banned, Jews were allowed to settle in Bjelovar
, Koprivnica
and Varazdin
, by the military commander of the Varazdin region
, General Beck. In order to streamline the treatment of Jews in Croatia, Count Franjo Patacic, by order of the Royal Office in Varazdin
, wrote a comprehensive report advocating Jewish permanent residence in Croatia on the basis that "most of them are merchants, and trade makes towns flourish".
The prohibition against Jewish settlement in northern Croatia lasted until 1783, when effect was given to the 1782 Edict of Tolerance
issued by the Habsburg Monarch
Emperor Joseph II
. Jews were allowed to settle in Croatia, but were not allowed to own land or engage in any trade protected by a guild, and were not allowed to work in agriculture. Despite these measures, Jews settled in Zagreb
and Varazdin
.
In 1840 the Sabor (parliament) voted to "gradually" allow full equality for the Jews, and over the next 33 years there was gradual progress.
In 1867 a new Great Synagogue
was inaugurated in Zagreb and Rabbi Dr. Hosea Jacobi
became Chief Rabbi of Zagreb. In 1873, Ivan Mažuranić
signed the decree allowing for the full legal equality of Jews and, as with other faiths, state funds were made available for community institutions.
By 1880, there were 13,488 Jews in Croatia, rising to 20,032 in 1900. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 21 Jewish communities in Croatia, the largest being in Zagreb (3,000 people) and Osijek
(3,000 people). The Jewish community of Croatia became highly successful and integrated. By 1900, 54% of Zagreb Jews and 35% of all Croatian Jews spoke Croatian
as their mother tongue. Despite their small numbers, Jews were disproportionately represented in industrial and wholesale business in Croatia, and in the timber and food industries. Several Jewish families were amongst Croatia's wealthiest families. Despite the apparent wealth, most Jews were middle class, and many second generation Croatian Jews were attracted to the fields of law and medicine.
, Serbia
(which included Vardar Macedonia
and Montenegro
), and Bosnia and Herzegovina
to form the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
.
Prior to World War II, the Croatian, and especially the Zagreb
Jewish community, was the pre-eminent community of Yugoslavia. In 1940 there were about 11,000 Jews living in Zagreb
: about 76% Ashkenaz
, 5% Sephardi
, 17% unaffiliated and the remainder being Religious
.
On March 25, 1941, Yugoslav Prince Paul
, who was actually Serbian, signed Yugoslavia's alliance with the Axis Powers
under the Tripartite Pact
. The decision was unpopular among Serbian population, and massive demonstrations took place in the Yugoslav capital, Belgrade
. Prince Paul
was overthrown, and a new anti-German government under Peter II
and Dušan Simović
took power. The new government withdrew its support for the Axis, but did not repudiate the Tripartite Pact
. Nevertheless, Axis forces, led by Nazi Germans
, invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941.
The Nazi
invasion was the doom of Croatian Jewry.
Under the Germans
, Croatian ultra-nationalists, the Croatian Ustaše movement came to power.
Croatian fascists established a state called the Independent State of Croatia
. The Ustaše were notoriously anti-Semitic
, and wasted little time in instituting anti-Jewish legislation and persecuting the Jews under their control. Indeed, the then NDH Croatian Interior Minister Andrija Artuković
, a member of the Ustaše, said "The Government of NDH Croatia shall solve the Jewish question in the same way as the German Government did".
The Ustaše set up concentration camps at Kerestinec
, Jadovno
, Metajna
and Slana. The most notorious, were heinous crimes and cruel torture perpetrated against Jewish and Serbian
prisoners, were at Pag
and Jasenovac
. At Jasenovac
alone, tens of thousands of people were murdered (mostly Serbs
), including 20,000 Jews.
The first genocide against Croatian (and Yugoslav) Jews began in July 1941. The Ustaše and German Nazis murdered tens of thousands of Serbs
, approximately 20,000 Roma (Gypsies) and 32,000 Jews (including 20,000 of the 23,000-25,000 Croatian Jews) in the territories they controlled.
The Croatian Jewish community was all but destroyed in the Holocaust, with only 5,000 Croatian Jews surviving the war, most as either soldiers in Croat Tito
's National Liberation Army (Yugoslav Partisans)
or as exiles in the Italian
-occupied zone. After Italy
capitulated to the Axis Powers
, the surviving Jews lived in free Partisan
territory.
When Yugoslavia was liberated in 1945, Croatia
became part of the new Yugoslav federation, which eventually became the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
.
and Croatia: there was no rabbi
in Croatia until the mid-1990s. Most Croatian Jews identified as Yugoslav
, or as Serbs
or Croats
. After the founding of the State of Israel about a half of the survivors renounced their Yugoslav and Croatian citizenship as a prerequisite for leaving the country and acquiring the Israeli citizenship. Those who opted for Israel signed a document by which they left all property, land, and other unmovable property to Yugoslavia.
The post-war Jewish community of Croatia was highly assimilated, with 80% of Zagreb's 1,500 Jews either born into mixed marriages, or married to a non-Jew. In 1991 there were approximately 2,000 Jews in Croatia.
, Osijek
and Dubrovnik
.
The Jewish community in Croatia is organized into ten Jewish "municipalities" in the cities of Čakovec, Daruvar, Dubrovnik, Koprivnica, Osijek, Rijeka, Slavonski Brod, Split, Virovitica, Zagreb. Since 2005, Zagreb also has a separate Jewish organization named "Bet Israel", formed by a splinter group in the original organization led by Ivo Goldstein
and others. A minor Chabad
organization is also registered in Zagreb.
date back to the 14th century AD
. A letter from 1326 refers to a Jewish doctor in Dubrovnik
. The community remained small throughout the years (100-330 members), although the community distinguished itself in trade and medicine. The community was augmented from 1421 by refugees fleeing increasing persecution in Spain, and then from 1492 as Jews fled the Spanish
and Portuguese
Inquisitions. The Jewish synagogue in Split is more than 500 years old and is the third oldest in Europe. Except for a brief period during WW2 the synagogue has been in continuous use since it was established. Although there is no rabbi in Split, the 100 member strong community conducts regular Friday evening shabat services and a kosher meal is prepared and served to all who come. The synagogue is open every day from 9 til around noon for tours. Although the interior of the synagogue was restored in 1996 the interior is from the 18th and 19thC.
Anti-Semitism
, based on the attitudes of the Catholic Church and on Venetian
law (which applied at the time), was a constant issue for the community, which lived in ghettos in Dubrovnik
and Split
. When Dalmatia
was occupied by Napoleon
ic forces, the Jews attained legal equality for the first time. In 1814, when the Austrian Empire
annexed Dalmatia
, legal equality was again withdrawn. Jews were granted legal equality under Croatian law in the mid 19th century.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
dates back to at least the 3rd century AD
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
, although little is known of the community until the 10th and 15th centuries. The community, over 20,000 strong on the eve of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, was almost entirely destroyed in the Holocaust. After the WWII half of the survivors choose to settle in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
while some 2,500 live today in Croatia. That number is an estimate and it is believed that the number of Croatian Jews is larger because more than 80 percent of the 1,500 members of Zagreb's Jewish community were either born in mixed marriages or are married to a non-Jew.
Many grandchildren of Holocaust survivors have just one Jewish grandparent.
Ancient community
Jews led by Kerri first arrived in what is now northern Croatia in the first centuries of the Common EraCommon Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
, when Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
law allowed free movement throughout the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. The Jews arrived as traders and merchants. Archaeological excavations in Osijek
Osijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
show a synagogue dating from the 3rd century AD
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
, and while there are occasional references to Jews, little is known of the Jewish communities of Croatia until the 13th century. The archaeological excavation in Solin (Salona, Roman capital of Dalmatia) show a Jewish graves from the 3rd century and the artefacts are stored in the Archaeological museum in Split. So we know that the emergence of the community in Split is from the Roman times - 3rd century. The Jews came to the Diocletian's palace after Salona was overrun by the Avars in 7th century, and they are still there. Split synagogue was built in the 16th Century into the western wall of Diocletian's palace.
Early Middle Ages
One of the oldest written source, which could indicate the presence of the Jews on Croatian territory, comes from the letter of the vizier Hasdai ibn ShaprutHasdai ibn Shaprut
Hasdai ibn Shaprut born about 915 at Jaén; died about 975 at Córdoba in Spain, was a Jewish scholar, physician, diplomat, and patron of science....
, which was sent to the King Joseph of the Khazars
Khazars
The Khazars were semi-nomadic Turkic people who established one of the largest polities of medieval Eurasia, with the capital of Atil and territory comprising much of modern-day European Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the northern Caucasus , parts of...
. This letter from the 10th century refers to the "King of the Gebalims - Slavs", see the article Miholjanec, whose country borders the country of the Hungarians. The King sent a delegation, which included "Mar (Aramaic: Lord) Shaul and Mar Joseph", to the Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III
Abd-ar-Rahman III
Abd-ar-Rahman III was the Emir and Caliph of Córdoba of the Ummayad dynasty in al-Andalus. Called al-Nasir li-Din Allah , he ascended the throne in his early 20s, and reigned for half a century as the most powerful prince of Iberia...
of Córdoba. Delegates reported that mar Hisdai Amram came to the Khazar king's palace from the country where lived "Gebalims". In Hebrew "gebal" means in English "mountain". Hungarian sources reported, that a vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
near Miholjanec was named "master of the mountain". Croatia is represented as a country of Gebalims also in a letter of Bishop Gauderich addressed to Anastasius as a co-author of the legend of Cherson in the 9th century.
Late Middle Ages
The Jewish communities of Croatia flourished in the 13th and 14th centuries, with the communities enjoying prosperity and peaceful relations with their Croatian neighbors.This ended in 1456, when Jews, along with most non-Catholic Croats, were forced out. There followed 200 years where there are no records of Jews in Croatia. In those 200 years Jews from Croatia were usually on diplomatic missions to Bosnia on behalf of the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
.
Arrival of the Spanish Refugees
The 15th century saw increasing persecution of Jews in areas of Spain retaken in the ReconquistaReconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
. From 1492 onward, Jewish refugees fleeing the Spanish
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
and Portuguese
Portuguese Inquisition
The Portuguese Inquisition was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of the King of Portugal, João III. Manuel I had asked for the installation of the Inquisition in 1515 to fulfill the commitment of marriage with Maria of Aragon, but it was only after his death that the Pope...
Inquisitions arrived in Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
territories, including the Balkan
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
provinces of Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
and Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. Some of these refugees found their way to Croatia, in particular to Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
and Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, on the Dalmatian coast
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
.
Habsburg rule
In the 17th century, Jews were still not permitted to settle in northern Croatia. Jews traveled to Croatia as travelling merchants, mostly from neighboring HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. They were generally permitted to stay only a few days. In the early part of the century, the Sabor (parliament) confirmed its ban on permanent settlement when a Jewish family attempted to settle in Durdevac.
In 1753, although still officially banned, Jews were allowed to settle in Bjelovar
Bjelovar
Bjelovar is a city in central Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Bjelovar-Bilogora County. During the 2001 census, there were 41,869 inhabitants, 90.51% which are Croats....
, Koprivnica
Koprivnica
Koprivnica is a city in northern Croatia. It is the capital of the Koprivnica-Križevci county. In 2011 the city administrative area had a total population of 30,872, with 23,896 in the city itself.-Population:...
and Varazdin
Varaždin
Varaždin is a city in north Croatia, north of Zagreb on the highway A4. The total population is 47,055, with 38,746 on of the city settlement itself . The centre of Varaždin county is located near the Drava river, at...
, by the military commander of the Varazdin region
Varaždin County
Varaždin County is a county in northern Croatia. It is named after its county seat, the city of Varaždin.-Geography:In addition to the city of Varaždin, the county includes the towns of Ivanec, Ludbreg, Lepoglava, Novi Marof and Varaždinske Toplice, as well as 22 municipalities...
, General Beck. In order to streamline the treatment of Jews in Croatia, Count Franjo Patacic, by order of the Royal Office in Varazdin
Varaždin
Varaždin is a city in north Croatia, north of Zagreb on the highway A4. The total population is 47,055, with 38,746 on of the city settlement itself . The centre of Varaždin county is located near the Drava river, at...
, wrote a comprehensive report advocating Jewish permanent residence in Croatia on the basis that "most of them are merchants, and trade makes towns flourish".
The prohibition against Jewish settlement in northern Croatia lasted until 1783, when effect was given to the 1782 Edict of Tolerance
1782 Edict of Tolerance
The 1782 Edict of Tolerance was a religious reform of Joseph II during the time he was emperor of the Habsburg Monarchy as part of his policy of Josephinism, a series of drastic reforms to remodel Austria in the form of the ideal Enlightened state. Joseph II's enlightened despotism included the...
issued by the Habsburg Monarch
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
. Jews were allowed to settle in Croatia, but were not allowed to own land or engage in any trade protected by a guild, and were not allowed to work in agriculture. Despite these measures, Jews settled in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
and Varazdin
Varaždin
Varaždin is a city in north Croatia, north of Zagreb on the highway A4. The total population is 47,055, with 38,746 on of the city settlement itself . The centre of Varaždin county is located near the Drava river, at...
.
In 1840 the Sabor (parliament) voted to "gradually" allow full equality for the Jews, and over the next 33 years there was gradual progress.
| Year | Legislation | 1843 | Range of occupations open to Jews extended | 1846 | Possibility to buy freedom through payment of a "tolerance tax Tolerance tax Tolerance tax was a tax that was levied against Jews of Hungary, then part of the Austrian Empire, beginning in 1747.The tax was based on the German statute that a Jew was obliged to pay a certain tax to be "tolerated".... " |
1859 | Jews allowed to buy houses and land | 1873 | Full legal equality |
|---|
In 1867 a new Great Synagogue
Zagreb synagogue
The Zagreb Synagogue was the main place of worship for the Jewish community of Zagreb in modern-day Croatia, from its construction in 1867 in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia within the Austrian Empire, until its demolition by the fascist authorities in 1941 in the Axis-aligned Independent State of...
was inaugurated in Zagreb and Rabbi Dr. Hosea Jacobi
Hosea Jacobi
Rabbi Dr. Hosea Jacobi was Chief Rabbi of Zagreb, Croatia , for 58 years and the spiritual and religious leader of the Jewish community in Yugoslavia.-Biography:...
became Chief Rabbi of Zagreb. In 1873, Ivan Mažuranić
Ivan Mažuranic
Ivan Mažuranić was a Croatian poet, linguist and politician—probably the most important figure in Croatia's cultural life in the mid-19th century...
signed the decree allowing for the full legal equality of Jews and, as with other faiths, state funds were made available for community institutions.
By 1880, there were 13,488 Jews in Croatia, rising to 20,032 in 1900. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 21 Jewish communities in Croatia, the largest being in Zagreb (3,000 people) and Osijek
Osijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
(3,000 people). The Jewish community of Croatia became highly successful and integrated. By 1900, 54% of Zagreb Jews and 35% of all Croatian Jews spoke Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
as their mother tongue. Despite their small numbers, Jews were disproportionately represented in industrial and wholesale business in Croatia, and in the timber and food industries. Several Jewish families were amongst Croatia's wealthiest families. Despite the apparent wealth, most Jews were middle class, and many second generation Croatian Jews were attracted to the fields of law and medicine.
World War I
World War I brought about the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and upheaval for the Jewish communities of the region. After the war, Croatia joined with SloveniaSlovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
(which included Vardar Macedonia
Vardar Macedonia
Vardar Macedonia is an area in the north of the Macedonia . The borders of the area are those of the Republic of Macedonia. It covers an area of...
and Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
), and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
to form the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
.
Prior to World War II, the Croatian, and especially the Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
Jewish community, was the pre-eminent community of Yugoslavia. In 1940 there were about 11,000 Jews living in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
: about 76% Ashkenaz
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
, 5% Sephardi
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
, 17% unaffiliated and the remainder being Religious
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
.
The Holocaust
At the outbreak of World War II, 23,000 Jews lived in Croatia.On March 25, 1941, Yugoslav Prince Paul
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, also known as Paul Karađorđević , was Regent of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during the minority of King Peter II. Peter was the eldest son of his first cousin Alexander I...
, who was actually Serbian, signed Yugoslavia's alliance with the Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
under the Tripartite Pact
Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite Pact, also the Three-Power Pact, Axis Pact, Three-way Pact or Tripartite Treaty was a pact signed in Berlin, Germany on September 27, 1940, which established the Axis Powers of World War II...
. The decision was unpopular among Serbian population, and massive demonstrations took place in the Yugoslav capital, Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. Prince Paul
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, also known as Paul Karađorđević , was Regent of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during the minority of King Peter II. Peter was the eldest son of his first cousin Alexander I...
was overthrown, and a new anti-German government under Peter II
Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia...
and Dušan Simović
Dušan Simovic
Dušan T. Simović was a Yugoslav general who served as chief of the air force and commander-in-chief of the Royal Yugoslav Army and as the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia.-Life and career:...
took power. The new government withdrew its support for the Axis, but did not repudiate the Tripartite Pact
Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite Pact, also the Three-Power Pact, Axis Pact, Three-way Pact or Tripartite Treaty was a pact signed in Berlin, Germany on September 27, 1940, which established the Axis Powers of World War II...
. Nevertheless, Axis forces, led by Nazi Germans
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941.
The Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invasion was the doom of Croatian Jewry.
Under the Germans
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, Croatian ultra-nationalists, the Croatian Ustaše movement came to power.
Croatian fascists established a state called the Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
. The Ustaše were notoriously anti-Semitic
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, and wasted little time in instituting anti-Jewish legislation and persecuting the Jews under their control. Indeed, the then NDH Croatian Interior Minister Andrija Artuković
Andrija Artukovic
Andrija Artuković was a Croatian politician and a member of the Ustaše movement. Artuković was convicted of war crimes committed against minorities in the Independent State of Croatia during World War II...
, a member of the Ustaše, said "The Government of NDH Croatia shall solve the Jewish question in the same way as the German Government did".
The Ustaše set up concentration camps at Kerestinec
Kerestinec
Kerestinec is a settlement west of Zagreb, in the Sveta Nedelja, Zagreb County, infamous for events in Croatian history. It has 1,199 inhabitants living on an area of . The name of Kerestinec comes from Hungarian word kereszt which stands for "cross".According to historical sources, there was a...
, Jadovno
Jadovno concentration camp
Jadovno concentration camp was founded and controlled by Croatian Ustaše in 1941 and was used as the place where the victims were taken away to be executed...
, Metajna
Metajna
Metajna is a village on the Paski Zaljev on the island of Pag located at ....
and Slana. The most notorious, were heinous crimes and cruel torture perpetrated against Jewish and Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
prisoners, were at Pag
Pag (island)
Pag is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea. It is the fifth-largest island of the Croatian coast, and the one with the longest coastline....
and Jasenovac
Jasenovac concentration camp
Jasenovac concentration camp was the largest extermination camp in the Independent State of Croatia and occupied Yugoslavia during World War II...
. At Jasenovac
Jasenovac concentration camp
Jasenovac concentration camp was the largest extermination camp in the Independent State of Croatia and occupied Yugoslavia during World War II...
alone, tens of thousands of people were murdered (mostly Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
), including 20,000 Jews.
The first genocide against Croatian (and Yugoslav) Jews began in July 1941. The Ustaše and German Nazis murdered tens of thousands of Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
, approximately 20,000 Roma (Gypsies) and 32,000 Jews (including 20,000 of the 23,000-25,000 Croatian Jews) in the territories they controlled.
The Croatian Jewish community was all but destroyed in the Holocaust, with only 5,000 Croatian Jews surviving the war, most as either soldiers in Croat Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
's National Liberation Army (Yugoslav Partisans)
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
or as exiles in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-occupied zone. After Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
capitulated to the Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
, the surviving Jews lived in free Partisan
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
territory.
When Yugoslavia was liberated in 1945, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
became part of the new Yugoslav federation, which eventually became the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
.
Post-War community
After 1945, atheism was the official policy of YugoslaviaSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
and Croatia: there was no rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
in Croatia until the mid-1990s. Most Croatian Jews identified as Yugoslav
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
, or as Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
or Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
. After the founding of the State of Israel about a half of the survivors renounced their Yugoslav and Croatian citizenship as a prerequisite for leaving the country and acquiring the Israeli citizenship. Those who opted for Israel signed a document by which they left all property, land, and other unmovable property to Yugoslavia.
The post-war Jewish community of Croatia was highly assimilated, with 80% of Zagreb's 1,500 Jews either born into mixed marriages, or married to a non-Jew. In 1991 there were approximately 2,000 Jews in Croatia.
Today
The 2001 Croatian census listed only 495 Jews, with 323 in Zagreb. Approximately 20 Jews each live in Primorje-Gorski Kotar CountyPrimorje-Gorski Kotar County
Primorje-Gorski kotar County is a county in western Croatia that includes the Bay of Kvarner and the surrounding Northern Croatian seacoast, and the mountainous region of Gorski kotar...
, Osijek
Osijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
and Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
.
The Jewish community in Croatia is organized into ten Jewish "municipalities" in the cities of Čakovec, Daruvar, Dubrovnik, Koprivnica, Osijek, Rijeka, Slavonski Brod, Split, Virovitica, Zagreb. Since 2005, Zagreb also has a separate Jewish organization named "Bet Israel", formed by a splinter group in the original organization led by Ivo Goldstein
Ivo Goldstein
Dr. Ivo Goldstein is a Croatian historian.He received his PhD in history at the University of Zagreb. Since 2001 he is a full professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb...
and others. A minor Chabad
Chabad
Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
organization is also registered in Zagreb.
Dalmatia
The Jewish communities of the Croatian coast of DalmatiaDalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
date back to the 14th century AD
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
. A letter from 1326 refers to a Jewish doctor in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
. The community remained small throughout the years (100-330 members), although the community distinguished itself in trade and medicine. The community was augmented from 1421 by refugees fleeing increasing persecution in Spain, and then from 1492 as Jews fled the Spanish
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
and Portuguese
Portuguese Inquisition
The Portuguese Inquisition was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of the King of Portugal, João III. Manuel I had asked for the installation of the Inquisition in 1515 to fulfill the commitment of marriage with Maria of Aragon, but it was only after his death that the Pope...
Inquisitions. The Jewish synagogue in Split is more than 500 years old and is the third oldest in Europe. Except for a brief period during WW2 the synagogue has been in continuous use since it was established. Although there is no rabbi in Split, the 100 member strong community conducts regular Friday evening shabat services and a kosher meal is prepared and served to all who come. The synagogue is open every day from 9 til around noon for tours. Although the interior of the synagogue was restored in 1996 the interior is from the 18th and 19thC.
Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, based on the attitudes of the Catholic Church and on Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
law (which applied at the time), was a constant issue for the community, which lived in ghettos in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
and Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
. When Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
was occupied by Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
ic forces, the Jews attained legal equality for the first time. In 1814, when the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
annexed Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, legal equality was again withdrawn. Jews were granted legal equality under Croatian law in the mid 19th century.