MILAN KOLJANIN

TH E Y U G O S LA V JE W S IN VVO R LD W A R T W O

T he history of Y ugoslav Jew s in W orld W ar T w o is m arked by

the genocide perpetrated by the occupational forces of the N azi
G erm any and the puppet Independent S tate of C roatia (N ezavisna
D rzava H rvatska), and also by Jevvish support or direct participa-
tion in the N ational Liberation m ovem ent and victory over fascism .
In com parison to the other Y ugoslav nations, the Jew s have -
by percentage - suffered the greatest losses. From over 81.000
Y ugoslav Jew s (0.5% of the Y ugoslav population in 1941) the w ar
had survived about 15.000, w hile from 3.000 Jew ish refugees in
Y ugoslavia only a few had ' saved their lives. T he genocide w as
perpetrated system atically, according to plan, w hile the em phasis
on the conviction of the Jew ish ” collective guilt ” w as disheartening.
A lso, the possibility of annihilation of a nation as a w hole w as by
itself inconceivable. T he greatest num ber o f Jew s w as living in
tow ns and it w as relatively easy to register and control them . A fter
the internm ent and execution of the Jew ish m en, their fam ilies
w ere also destroyed. It w as not only the annihilation o f the Jew ish
lives, but also of their tem ples, cultural m onum ents and cem eter-
ies, w hile their assets, property and belongings w ere pilfered and
appropriated.
T he tides of genocide in the parts of the divided Y ugoslavia all
led to one goal, but the m ethods of its execution in various occu-
pied areas (G erm an, H ungarian, B ulgarian) and in Independent
S tate of C roatia w ere different.
A lm ost half of the Y ugoslav Jew s had lived on the territory of
IS C , m ostly in Z agreb, S arajevo and O sijek. T he largest part of the
30.500 executed IS C Jew s (not counting about 1.800 refugees
w ho also perished) had lost their lives in the ustashi concentration
and exterm ination cam ps Jasenovac and S tara G radiska (а р р г о х -
im ately 20.000); the rest w ere killed in other cam ps and on е х е с и -
tion grounds, w hile about 5.000 Independent S tate of C roatia Jew s
w ere, through cooperation w ith the G erm an representatives, sent
to the P olish death cam ps.
S erbia w as the only part of Y ugoslavia under the direct G erm an
m iiitary occupational adm inistration. In this area lived about 16.600
Jew s and 1.200 Jew ish refugees. In the m ass executions during
the uprising in S erbia, till the beginning o f N ovem ber 1941, alm ost
all Jew ish m ales w ere shot. S ince D ecem ber 8. 1941, the rem ain-
ing Jew s, about 6.400 w om en, children and old people, w ere
interned in the B elgrade S ajm iste cam p. T ill М а у 1942 they w ere
m ost brutally killed in the m obile gas cham ber - a large van. In the
occupied S erbia w ere killed approxim ately 13.600 S erbian Jew s
and 1.200 Jevvish refugees.

In the part of Y ugoslavia occupied by Н и п д а г у . m ostly B acka,

lived about 16.000 Jew s. D uring Ј а п и а г у 1942 in the m ass е х е с и -
tions ("the raid") in southern B acka and N ovi S ad, H ungarian sol-
diers and local G erm an population (V olksdeutsche), had killed and
throvvn under the D anube and T isa ice 3.809 persons, am ong
them 1.068 Jew s.
A fter the G erm an occupation of Н и п д а г у on M arch 18, 1944,
the H ungarian governm ent had interned the Jew s from occupied
territory and handed them over to the G erm ans. T hey have deport-
ed them to the A uschw itz cam p w here alm ost all had perished.
F rom the H ungarian occupied area of Y ugoslavia about 14.000
Jew s have lost their lives.
O n the B ulgarian occupied territory of Y ugoslavia (m ost part of
M acedonia and southeastern S erbia) lived less than 8.000 Jew s,
m ostly in B itola, S kopje and S tip. U nder the pressure of the
G erm an representatives on M arch 11 and 12, 1943, the B ulgarian
authorities had interned the Jew s from the occupied area. To the
end of M arch the G erm ans had deported these 7.332 Jew s to the
exterm ination cam p T reblinka, w here they all perished.
Italian anti-Jew ish m easures in the occupied parts o f
Y ugoslavia (Istria, D alm atia w ith islands and M ontenegro) w ere
lim ited to various m odes of discrim ination, but the internm ent of
Jew s in cam ps had not as a prim ary goal their physical annihila-
tion. A few thousand Jew ish refugees, m ostly from Independent
S tate of C roatia, had sought shelter in those areas. S upported by
the representatives of the T hird R eich the C roatian authorities had
dem anded their extradition, but in vain. In the spring of 1943 a
large num ber of Jew s w ere interned in the cam p on island R ab.
A fter the capitulation of ltaly on S eptem ber 8. 1943, m ost of the
 Jew s in the Italian occupied regions have joined the N ational
Liberation А г т у of Y ugoslavia , or w ere evacuated to the liberated
areas and ltaly. T he rem aining Jew s w ere m ostly deported to
G erm an and C roatian death cam ps w here m ost of them w ere
killed.
In spite of such unfavourable circum stances the considerable
num ber of Y ugoslav Jew s had joined the N ational Liberation А г т у
(partisan arm ed forces). М а п у Jew ish w om en and m en w ere also
m em bers of the Y ugoslav C om m unist P arty and League of
Y ugoslav C om m unist Y outh; in addition, the Jew ish youth organi-
sations w ere m ostly leftist. Jew ish participation in the liberation
m ovem ent differed in various parts of Y ugoslavia, depending on
diverse local conditions. A m ong the notable organizers and lead-
ers of the rebellion and new revolutionary governm ent w as a large
num ber of Jew s.
A fter their liberation from the concentration cam ps (on R ab. in
B or) ; the Jevvish inm ates en m asse joined the partisan units. T he
contribution of the Jew ish m edical personnel w as particularly valu-
able for the N ational Liberation А г т у and in the liberated regions.
T ogether w ith the other prisoners. the Y ugoslav Jew s participated
in the organising of resistance and escapes from the prisons and
cam ps in Y ugoslavia and other countries. as w ell as taking part in
the resistance m ovem ents outside Y ugoslavia.
O f 4.572 Jew s engaged in the w ar for liberation, 1.318 had lost
their lives. In the N ational Liberation А г т у fought 2.993 Jew s, and
722 w ere killed. М а п у of them held high, trusty positions in the par-
tisan units. T en Jew s w ere honoured by the highest Y ugoslav w ar
decoration, The M edal of the N ational H ero. O f the Jew s w hose
lives w ere saved during the w ar, m ost had survived due to the
strong Y ugoslav liberation m ovem ent, and their contribution to its
organisation, activities and final victory w as considerable.
O m ladinci iz društva H AŠO M ER H A CA IR
Y ouths from the H A-SHO M ER H A -ZA IR