The Voice of B’nai B’rith "Gavro Schwartz": Magazine of Jewish Culture, Civilization and History, no. 38, July 2025

Trideset osmi broj “Glasnika” bavi se knjigama triju autorica - Anne Marije Gruenfelder, Jasminke Domaš i Edith Bruck - koje se bave ekskluzivno židovskim temama. O knjizi povijesne tematike Anne Marije Gruenfelder “Nevidljivi” (2025.) piše Jasminka Domaš, a o zbirci poezije Jasminke Domaš “Bog govori jidiš” (2024.) piše Jaroslav Pecnik. Tu je također roman mađarsko-talijanske autorice Edith Bruck “Izgubljeni kruh” (2023.), na koji se osvrnula naša dugogodišnja suradnica Narcisa Potežica. S obzirom da se temat bavi autoricama, donosimo i esej o konceptu autorstva u židovstvu…Uvršten je još jedan tekst o istaknutoj ženi koja nas sve, s pravom, motivira. U znak sjećanja na našu istaknutu znanstvenicu i aktivisticu Melitu Švob, donosimo tekst Darka Fischera o njezinom životu i radu, koji završava zaključkom: nadajmo se da će u svakoj generaciji biti osoba poput Melite Švob!...The thirty-eighth issue of “Glasnik” deals with books by three authors - specifically, we are talking about books by three authors - Anna Marija Gruenfelder, Jasminka Domaš, and Edith Bruck - who deal exclusively with Jewish topics. Jasminka Domaš writes about Anna Marija Gruenfelder’s historical book “The Invisibles” (2025), and Jaroslav Pecnik writes about Jasminka Domaš’s poetry collection “God Speaks Yiddish” (2024). There is also a novel by Hungarian-Italian author Edith Bruck, “Lost Bread” (2023), which was reviewed by our long-time collaborator Narcisa Potežica… Another text about a prominent woman who rightly motivates us all has been included. In memory of our prominent scientist and activist Melita Švob, we bring you a text by Darko Fischer about her life and work, which ends with the conclusion: let’s hope that in every generation there will be a person like Melita Švob! ...Tema broja: Tri autorice (the theme of this issue: Three female authors).Časopis "Glasnik B'nai B'rith", Hrvatska dostupan je na Internet stranici [https://www.bnaibrith.hr]The magazine "The Voice of B’nai B’rith," Croatia, is available on the website [https://www.bnaibrith.hr]

Preživljavanje rodne matrice Holokausta: ose rodne moći u svedočenjima preživelih Holokausta u Jugoslaviji

As an intricate dynamic network of social identifications, expectations, and behavioural models in their use and abuse, the interrelation of gender and power uncovers more than established gender roles and relations: it reveals deeper layers of individual and collective reasoning, which further informs and influences one’s thoughts and decisions. This can particularly be important in the times of crisis and survival, since it can have a direct effect on one’s ways and chances of survival, as well as on the experiences survived. In other words, gender-related mechanisms are in the background of the totality of conditions in times of crisis and war. In the case of the Holocaust, the gender-power axis can be identified in the survival response of the survivors, as well as in the executive decisions of the perpetrators, and it can all be read throughout the texts of the survivor testimonies. In order to understand the Holocaust as a gendered event, a gender-fuelled atrocity, I would like to analyse the testimonies of Yugoslavian Holocaust survivors gathered in the five-book edition "We survived: Yugoslav Jews on the Holocaust", 1-5 (Federation of Jewish Communities of Yugoslavia/Serbia & Montenegro/Serbia 2001-2009).Kao složena dinamička mreža društvenih identifikacija, očekivanja i modela ponašanja u njihovoj upotrebi i zloupotrebi, međusobni odnos roda i moći otkriva više od utvrđenih rodnih uloga i odnosa: otkriva dublje slojeve individualnog i kolektivnog rezonovanja, što dodatno informiše i utiče na nečije misli i odluke. Ovo može biti posebno važno u vremenima krize i preživljavanja, jer može imati direktan uticaj na nečije načine i šanse za preživljavanje, kao i na preživljena iskustva. Drugim rečima, mehanizmi povezani sa rodom su u pozadini ukupnosti uslova u vremenima krize i rata. U slučaju Holokausta, osa rod-moć može se identifikovati u odgovoru preživelih na preživljavanje, kao i u izvršnim odlukama počinilaca, i sve se to može pročitati kroz tekstove svedočenja preživelih. Da bih razumela Holokaust kao rodno obojeni događaj, zločin podstaknut rodom, želela bih da analiziram svedočanstva preživelih Holokausta iz Jugoslavije sakupljena u izdanju od pet knjiga „Mi smo preživeli: jugoslovenski Jevreji o Holokaustu“, 1-5 (Savez jevrejskih opština Jugoslavije/Srbije i Crne Gore/Srbije 2001-2009)

Narod Knjige: katalog izložbe [Evropski dani jevrejske kulture 2025]

The event organised on the occasion of the European Day of Jewish Culture (EDJC) for 2025 had the theme "People of the Book". On this occasion, the Jewish Community of Belgrade organised an event consisting of an exhibition with eight (8) panels and seven special themes. The complete content of this exhibition is presented in this catalogue. In addition, there was also a concert by the ensemble "Shira utfila" with Branislava Podrumac, under the title "The Book in Song: Sephardic Music of the Balkans". The catalogue also presents the members of the mentioned group, describes the Sephardic melodies and songs, and gives a complete programme on the occasion of this EDJK event.Manifestacija organizovana povodom Evropskog dana jevrejske kulture (EDJK) za 2025. godinu imala je temu: “Narod knjige”. Tim povodom Jevrejska opština Beograd organizovala je manifestaciju koja se sastojala od izložbe koju su činili osam (8) panoa sa sedam posebnih tema. Kompletan sadržaj ove izložbe predstavljen je u ovom katalogu. Pored toga održan je i koncert ansambla “Šira utfila” sa Branislavom Podrumac, pod naslovom: „Knjiga u pesmi: Seferdska muzika Balkana“. U katalogu su predstavljeni i članovi pomenute grupe, opisane sefardske melodije i pesme, a dat je i kompletan program povodom ove manifestacije EDJK.The "European Days of Jewish Culture" (EJDC) event provided the occasion for this exhibition, prepared by the National Library of Israel.Ova izložba koju je zvanično pripremila Nacionalna biblioteka Izraela organizovana je povodom manifestacije "Evropski dani jevrejske kulture" (EJDK)

Njen prostor: žene u Holokaustu

The book emerged from a need to deepen the understanding of the dynamics of suffering and survival experienced by women during the Holocaust, as well as from a desire to further open up space for exploring women’s specific experiences within these historical circumstances. In this light, this edited volume offers ten chapters, framed by a prologue and an epilogue in which the editors provide contextual and thematic entry and exit points into and out of these highly sensitive areas of research. The book is divided into three broader sections. The first is dedicated to exploring the bodily and physical experiences that women endured during the Holocaust. The second focuses on the traces and testimonies women left behind through art, writing, diaries, and publishing activities during and after the Holocaust. The third section introduces the theme of resistance - both to the Holocaust itself and to its erasure from memory - while also emphasising the importance of responsible remembrance of the women’s legacy related to the Holocaust.Ova knjiga je nastala je iz želje za produbljivanjem znanja o dinamikama stradanja i preživljavanja žena tokom Holokausta, ali i iz potrebe za dodatnim otvaranjem prostora za istraživanje specifično ženskih iskustava u pomenutim istorijskim okolnostima. U tom svetlu ovaj zbornik nudi deset poglavlja uokvirenih prologom i epilogom urednica koje kontekstualno i problemski uvode i izvode čitalačku publiku iz ovih krajnje osetljivih istraživačkih područja. Knjiga je podeljena na tri šire celine, od kojih je prva posvećena tematizovanju telesnih i fizičkih iskustava kroz koja su žene prolazile tokom Holokausta, druga govori o tragovima i svedočenjima koje su žene ostavljale u umetnosti, pisanju, dnevnicima i izdavačkoj delatnosti tokom i nakon Holokausta, dok treća celina uvodi temu pružanja otpora Holokaustu ali i njegovom zaboravu, istovremeno naglašavajući i važnost odgovornog sećanja na žensko nasleđe vezano za Holokaust.This edited volume was realised with the support of Claims conference - Conference on Jewish material claims against Germany.Edicija Disput

The Voice of B’nai B’rith "Gavro Schwartz": Magazine of Jewish Culture, Civilization and History, no. 37, April 2025

"U desetu godinu izlaženja Glasnika B’nai B’rith ulazimo s temom glazbe. Nakon što smo proteklih nekoliko brojeva posvetili prvenstveno književnosti, sada se bavimo glazbom. Zbog velike važnosti glazbe u židovstvu, posvećujemo temat glazbenicima, prije svega onima iz naše okoline - hrvatskim, srpskim, bosanskim glazbenicima židovskog podrijetla...""We are entering the tenth year of the Voice of B’nai B’rith with a focus on music. After dedicating the past few issues primarily to literature, we are now focusing on music. Due to the great importance of music in Judaism, we are dedicating the topic to musicians, primarily those from our environment - Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian musicians of Jewish origin..."Tema broja: Židovski glazbenici regije (the theme of this issue: Jewish musicians of the region).Časopis "Glasnik B'nai B'rith", Hrvatska dostupan je na Internet stranici [https://www.bnaibrith.hr]The Magazine "The Voice of B’nai B’rith", Croatia is available on the website [https://www.bnaibrith.hr

Jews in space

U okviru aktivnosti „Zoom Šabata“, u organizaciji Jevrejske opštine Beograd i tehničkoj realizaciji Rake-Rahamima Levija, 23. maja 2025. godine gost i predavač “Zooma” bio je upravo Raka Levi, domaćin i urednik Zooma. Ovde je predstavljena samo PDF prezentacija. Njegovo izlaganje se odnosilo na zanimljive informacije o Jevrejima kosmonautima. Oni su bili iz Rusije, SAD-a i Izraela. U prezentaciji su predstavljeni ne samo kosmonauti, već i oni Jevreji čiji se „rad“ doticao teme svemira. Reč je o autorima časopisa naučne fantastike, knjiga o svemiru, filmskih glumaca i režisera i jednog astronoma/astrologa iz 14. veka koji se bavio temom svemira.As part of the “Zoom Shabbat” program, organised by the Jewish Community of Belgrade and technically supported by Raka-Rahamin Levi, the guest speaker on May 23, 2025, was Raka Levi himself - the host and editor of the Zoom series. This presentation, available here in PDF format only, focused on Jewish individuals connected to space exploration. It highlighted Jewish astronauts from Russia, the United States, and Israel, as well as lesser-known figures whose work touched on the cosmos - including science fiction writers, authors of space-themed books, filmmakers, and even a 14th-century Jewish astronomer-astrologer. The presentation offered a unique blend of biographical, scientific, and cultural insights into the Jewish presence in the history and imagination of space.Predavanje održano 23. maja 2025. godine preko Zoom platforme (Zoom Šabat) sa početkom u 19.30 časova.The lecture was held on May 23, 2025, via the Zoom platform (Zoom Shabbat) starting at 7:30 p.m

Danilo Kiš - Holocaust writer

Danilo Kiš (1935-1989), to jest Daniel Kon, bio je srpski/jugoslovenski pisac jevrejskog porekla koji se jedini nalazi u svetskim enciklopedijama Holokausta iako sebe nije smatrao delom zajednice; u njegovom opusu ne preovladavaju religiozne ili jevrejske teme uopšte. Stvaralaštvo mu se zasniva na temeljima dvaju osnovnih činjenica koje su obeležile XX vek, a to su nacistički logori smrti i staljinistički logori za progon. Te dve činjenice mučile su njegovo biće - homo poeticus - koje je upravo zbog njih moralo da probudi i deo homo politicus. Upravo je to tačka u kojoj Kiš spaja istoriju i književnost, kroz koju pokušava da održi sećanje na ono čemu jeste i čemu nije prisustvovao. On ne piše istoriju, ali koristi njene činjenice i događaje koje pokušava da pojmi i razume, iako se često čini da su nepojmljive, nezamislive, ljudskom umu i duši nedokučive zbog svoje brutalnosti, odsustva svakog humanizma i, najzad, nemogućnosti da se sve to prenese kroz jezik koji poznajemo.Данило Киш (1935-1989), то есть Даниэль Кон, был сербским/югославским писателем еврейского происхождения, единственным, который упоминается в мировых энциклопедиях Холокоста, хотя он не считал себя частью общины. В его творчестве нет преобладающих религиозных или еврейских тем в целом. Его творчество базируется на двух основных фактах, которые ознаменовали XX век, а именно нацистских концлагерях смерти и сталинских исправительных лагерях. Эти два факта терзали его как существо homo poeticus, которое должно было пробудить часть homo politicus в нем. Именно это пункт, в котором для Киша пересекаются история и литература, с помощью которых он пытается сохранить память о том, что он есть и чему не присутствовал. Он не пишет историю, но использует ее факты и события, которые пытается постичь и понять, хотя они часто кажутся непостижимыми, невообразимыми, за пределами человеческого разума и души из-за их жестокости, полного отсутствия человечности и, наконец, невозможности передать все это с помощью известного нам языка.Danilo Kiš (1935-1989), also known as Kohn Daniel, was a Serbian/Yugoslav writer of Jewish descent who is uniquely featured in global Holocaust encyclopedias, despite not identifying himself as part of the community; his body of work does not predominantly focus on religious or Jewish themes at all. His creative output is grounded in two fundamental facts that marked the 20th century: the Nazi death camps and the Stalinist camps for persecution. These two facts tormented his being - homo poeticus - which, exactly because of them, had to awaken the aspect of homo politicus. This is precisely the point where Kiš intertwines history and literature to preserve the memory of what he witnessed and did not. He does not write history, but he employs its facts and events, striving to comprehend and understand them, even though they often appear incomprehensible, unimaginable, and elusive to the human mind and soul due to their brutality, the absence of any humanism, and ultimately the impossibility of conveying all of this through the language we know.Rad je deo doktorske disertacije pod nazivom “Fikcionalizacija Holokausta u romanima Jeržija Kozinskog, Džejn Jolen i D. M. Tomasa”

A story of two transports: Jews in Međimurje and Prekmurje during the Holocaust

Povijest međimurskih i prekmurskih Židova mnogo je više od priče o dvama transportima u kojima je 2. i 21. svibnja 1944. većina međimurskih i prekmurskih Židova odvezena u smrt u Auschwitz. Ta je povijest ponajprije priča o dolasku malobrojnih Židova u 18. stoljeću, postupnom povećanju njihova broja i značenja u 19. stoljeću te, naposljetku, procvatu u posljednjim desetljećima prije Prvog svjetskog rata. Ta je desetljeća možda najbolje opisao bečki Židov Stefan Zweig u svojoj knjizi "Jučerašnji svijet". Dio je te povijesti i priča o postupnom opadanju njihova broja i još uvijek velikom značenju u međuratnom razdoblju. Dio je te povijesti i razdoblje holokausta tijekom kojeg Židovi nisu trpjeli i umirali samo u Auschwitzu i tijekom kojeg su samo neki dobili priliku da prežive. Na kraju krajeva, ta je povijest i priča o desetkovanim zajednicama nakon 1945. godine i njihovu skromnu postojanju do danas. No, bez obzira na sve napisano, ostaje činjenica: najgora stvar koja se dogodila međimurskim i prekmurskim Židovima, što je nažalost i najvažniji događaj u židovskoj povijesti tih dviju regija, bili su transporti u svibnju 1944.The history of the Jews of Međimurje and Prekmurje is much more than just a story of two transports, which brought most of them to Auschwitz and their inevitable deaths, on 2 and 21 May 1944. This is above all a story of the arrival of a small number of Jews in the 18th century, a gradual increase in their number and standing in the 19th century, and lastly their period of prosperity in the decades leading up to World War I. These decades were perhaps best described in the book "The World of Yesterday" by the Viennese Jew Stefan Zweig. A part of this history is also the story of a gradual decline in the Jews’ number, yet their continued importance in the interwar period. Another chapter is the Holocaust period, during which Jews suffered and perished in Auschwitz and elsewhere, with scant few receiving even a chance of survival. Last but not least, this history is also a story of the decimated Jewish communities in the post-1945 period and their modest existence until today. Whatever other ills there were, the fact remains that the worst thing to have happened to the Jews of Međimurje and Prekmurje were the two transports in May 1944, unfortunately making them the most important event in Jewish history in these two regions.Ovaj katalog izložbe dopunjena je verzija kataloga izložbe Borisa Hajdinjaka, Zgodba o dveh transportih: medžimurski in prekmurski Judje med holokavstom: (katalog razstave) = A story of two transports: Jews in Međimurje and Prekmurje during the Holocaust: (exhibition catalogue), Maribor: Center judovske kulturne dediščine Sinagoga, 2023. i tiskan je za otvorenje izložbe u ponedjeljak, 27. siječnja 2025. u 18 sati, Multimedijalna dvorana Riznice Međimurja Čakovec. Videti: [https://jevrejskadigitalnabiblioteka.rs/handle/123456789/2920]This catalogue is a modified version of the exhibition catalogue written by Boris Hajdinjak, “Zgodba o dveh transportih: medžimurski in prekmurski Judje med holokavstom = A story of two transports: Jews in Međimurje and Prekmurje during the Holocaust” (Maribor, 2023). The catalogue has been published for the opening of the exhibition, which took place on Monday, 27 January 2025, at 6 pm in the Multimedia Hall of “Riznica Međimurja” in Čakovec. See: [https://jevrejskadigitalnabiblioteka.rs/handle/123456789/2920]Tekst uporedo na hrvatskom i engleskom jeziku (parallel text in Croatian and English)

Prolog: dalje ka sopstvenom prostoru u studijama Holokausta

The exploration of women’s gender-specific experiences, traumas, and memories from the Holocaust is not entirely new. However, it still seems that the research conducted thus far has only scratched the surface of what remains to be said. In other words, although this book stands upon the courageous shoulders of the already present academic legacy of women’s studies within Holocaust research, there is still a strong reason, a need, and an urge to discuss women’s lives, sufferings, and resistance activities during the time of the Holocaust, as well as to honour and understand the subsequent silences and struggles etched into their bodies. This becomes even more important as the harrowing experiences of the Holocaust, once alive and present through first-generation survivors, melt into post-memory, where the questions multiply but the answers are not easily obtained.Istraživanje ženskih rodno specifičnih iskustava, trauma i sećanja na Holokaust nije sasvim novo. Međutim, čini se da je dosadašnje istraživanje samo zagrebalo površinu onoga što tek treba reći. Drugim rečima, iako ova knjiga stoji na hrabrim plećima već prisutnog akademskog nasleđa studija žena u okviru istraživanja Holokausta, i dalje postoji jak razlog, potreba i želja da se razgovara o životima, patnjama i aktivnostima otpora žena tokom vremena Holokausta, kao i da se poštuju i razumeju naknadne tišine i borbe urezane u njihova tela. Ovo postaje još važnije kako se jeziva iskustva Holokausta, nekada živa i prisutna kroz preživele prve generacije, stapaju sa post-sećanjem, gde se pitanja množe, ali se odgovori ne dobijaju lako

Jewish women as feminine Judaic pillars of hope

U judaizmu nada (tikva) ima duboko duhovno i teološko značenje: ona nije samo emotivni osećaj optimizma, već izražava poverenje u Boga i u Njegovu pravednost i vernost Savezu sa narodom Izraela. Takođe, u judaizmu vera nije apstraktna, već živa praksa kroz koju čovek, svojom nadom i delima, sarađuje sa Bogom u popravljanju sveta. Životi istaknutih žena u judaizmu duboko su povezani s pojmom nade, jer u njima judaizam vidi primere vere, hrabrosti i moralne snage kroz koje Božji plan deluje u svetu. Predstavljaju se jedanaest jerejskih i izraelskih heroine 20. veka čiji su život i delo posebno povezani sa nadom i pojmom tikun olam (popravljanje sveta). Sve su one bile žene običnih profesija, a njihov doprinos imao je duboko etičko i društveno značenje: Hana Senesh, Henrieta Szold, Reha Freier, Naomi Shemer, Ada Yonath, Irena Sendler, Gerda Weissmann Klein, Vilhelmina Koen, Renja Kukjelka, Selma Mayer, Helena Kagan. Na kraju je pomenut i feminisitčki seder kao savremena reinterpretacija pesahske večere na kojoj se pominju i imena značajnih žena jevrejske istorije.In Judaism, hope (tikva) carries deep spiritual and theological meaning: it is not merely an emotional feeling of optimism but an expression of trust in God and in His justice and faithfulness to the Covenant with the people of Israel. In Judaism, faith is also not abstract but a living practice through which a person, through hope and deeds, cooperates with God in repairing the world. The lives of prominent women in Judaism are closely connected to the concept of hope, because Judaism sees in them examples of faith, courage, and moral strength through which God’s plan unfolds in the world. This text presents eleven Jewish and Israeli heroines of the 20th century whose lives and work are especially linked to hope and the concept of tikkun olam (repairing the world). They were all women of ordinary professions, yet their contributions carried deep ethical and social meaning: Hannah Senesh, Henrietta Szold, Recha Freier, Naomi Shemer, Ada Yonath, Irena Sendler, Gerda Weissmann Klein, Wilhelmina Kohn, Renia Kukielka, Selma Mayer, and Helena Kagan. Finally, the feminist seder is mentioned as a contemporary reinterpretation of the Passover meal that includes the names of significant women in Jewish history.Predavanje održano u Jevrejskoj opštini Beograd 16.11.2025. (lecture held in the Jewish community of Belgrade on November 16, 2025)