Naslov
The role of the JDC in the reestablishment of Jewish religious communities in Yugoslavia in the aftermath of the Shoah

Autori
Brandl, Naida Mihal

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, neobjavljeni rad, znanstveni

Skup
The Activities of ‘the Joint’ in Poland and Neighboring Countries 1945-1989: Reality and Perceptions

Mjesto i datum
Varšava, Poljska, 06.08.2019. - 08.08.2019

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Podatak o recenziji nije dostupan

Ključne riječi
Jewish religious communities ; Yugoslavia ; Croatia ; Shoah ; communism ; JDC

Sažetak
After the liberation of Belgrade in October 1944, the Federation of Jewish communities of Yugoslavia (SJVOJ), dissolved 1941, was reestablished. One of the first steps made was contacting The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) through Romania. In 1945 the Jewish religious community in Zagreb (ŽBOZ), which was active during the whole war period, albeit in specific conditions, directly contacted the JDC mission in Italy. The period immediately after the war was difficult for survivors, returning to their pre-war homes where, in most cases, they had to face the false hope that the other members of the family miraculously survived. Out of around 75, 000 strong prewar community, about 20 percent survived. Yugoslavia was under the communist control already in 1945 and the Jewish communities were also controlled by the new regime. Generally, the state did not prevent contacts of the local community with Jewish organizations around the world, but it forbade contact with the World Zionist Organization (WZO). Until then, the JDC was deeply engaged in resettling and sustaining Jewish refugees and the Shoah survivors and rebuilding Jewish communal institutions in Yugoslavia by providing medical, financial, and logistical support. However, the Communist government ordered its activities to be conducted through the so-called Autonomous Committee for assistance (Autonomni odbor – AO) under the SJVOJ, established for this purpose. This activity lasted from 1945 to 1952 – the amount of assistance was substantially decreased in 1949 when about 60 percent of Yugoslav Jews emigrated to Israel and the AO ceased its activities in 1952. The JDC also helped in less orthodox ways: it supplied Yugoslav government with a “hard currency” (through providing Jewish community with the financial aid) in exchange for permission to implement certain activities in the newly established communist Yugoslavia. It also had a role in in Aliyah bet, in the territory of Yugoslavia, since one of the routes of this Aliyah was via Yugoslavia mainly towards Italy, and Greece, but also from some Yugoslav ports to Mandate Palestine. Using archival documents from the New York and Jerusalem offices of the JDC, this paper will begin to answer these questions.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Politologija, Povijest

POVEZANOST RADA