The history of the Jewish community in Croatia begins at least in the 3rd century AD. e .; at the same time, information about the community is fragmentary until the 10th century. By the start of World War II , there were about 20,000 people in the community, most of whom were killed during the Holocaust in the territory of the Independent State of Croatia . After World War II, half of the survivors chose to settle in Israel , while about 2,500 people continued to live in Croatia. According to the 2011 census, 509 Jews lived in the country.
Today, eight synagogues and related organizations work in Croatia: they are located in Zagreb , Rijeka , Osijek , Split , Dubrovnik , Cakovec , Daruvar , Slavonski Brode . Of these, the Zagreb community is the largest and most active, organizing events to promote Jewish culture and identity, such as the annual Jewish Film Festival in Zagreb.
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Community History
Ancient community
Jewish merchants and merchants first arrived in northern Croatia in the first centuries of our era, when Roman law allowed free movement throughout the Empire. Archaeological excavations in Osijek discovered a synagogue of the 3rd century AD, and excavations in Solin - Jewish graves of the same period. The Jewish community in Split, also dating back to the 3rd century, was also discovered. In the 7th century, Jews sought refuge in the Palace of Diocletian after the capital of Dalmatia - Salon - was captured by the Avars ; a synagogue was built near the western wall of the palace in the 16th century, and the descendants of Salon’s inhabitants still live in the area.
Early Middle Ages
One of the oldest written sources, which may indicate the presence of Jews in the territory of Croatia, is the letters of the vizier Hassday ibn Shaprut, which he sent to the ruler of the Khazar Khaganate Joseph ; This correspondence dates back to the 10th century.
Late Middle Ages
The Jewish communities of Croatia "flourished" in the XIII and XIV centuries - relations with their neighbors were peaceful. This ended in 1456 when Jews, along with most non-Catholic Croats, were evicted from the country. This was followed by 200 years during which there were no records of the presence of Jews in Croatia. At the same time, in the same two centuries, Croatian Jews were often in diplomatic missions in Bosnia - on behalf of the Venetian Republic .
Arrival of the Spanish Refugees
In the 15th century, during the Reconquista , the number of victims of persecution against Jews in Spain increased significantly. Since 1492, Jewish refugees fleeing the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition arrived in the Ottoman Empire - including its Balkan provinces, Macedonia and Bosnia. Some of these refugees ended up on the territory of modern Croatia: in particular, in Split and Dubrovnik, as well as on the coast of Dalmatia .
Habsburg Board
In the 17th century, under the rule of the Habsburg dynasty, Jews were still not allowed to settle in northern Croatia. Jews found themselves on the territory of Croatia as merchants and merchants, mainly from neighboring Hungary . They were generally allowed to stay in the region for only a few days. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Croatian parliament (“Sabor”) confirmed the ban on permanent residence after the Jewish family tried to settle in Tsursevac.
In 1753, although an official ban continued, General Beck, the military commander of the Varazdinsky district, still allowed Jews to settle in Bjelovar , Koprivnitsa, and Varazdin. In order to streamline the “treatment of Jews” in Croatia, Count Franco Patachić, on the orders of the Royal Administration in Varazdin, wrote a detailed report saying that “most Jews are merchants and trade makes cities prosperous”.
The ban on a Jewish settlement in northern Croatia continued until 1783, until the Decree on Tolerance of 1782, issued by Joseph II , entered into force. Subsequently, Jews were allowed to settle in Croatia, but they were not allowed to own land or engage in any trade protected by guilds ; they were also not allowed to farm. Despite these restrictions, Jews settled in Zagreb and Varazdin.
In 1840, parliament voted to "gradually" ensure full equality for the Jews - and over the next 33 years, gradual progress was indeed observed. In 1867, the new Great Zagreb Synagogue was opened, and Rabbi Hosea Jacobi became the chief rabbi of Zagreb. In 1873, Ivan Mazhuranich signed a decree providing for the full legal equality of Jews, and state funding was provided to Jewish community institutions, along with other faiths .
Notes
Literature
- Melita Svob. Jews in Croatia: Holocaust Victims and Survivors. Zagreb: Jewish Community of Zagreb, 2000.
- Židovi u Hrvatskoj i Slavoniji, zbornik radova, 1996.
- Zlata Živaković - Kerže, Židovi u Osijeku (1918-1941), Osijek 2005. ISBN 953-6659-22-0 .
- Zlata Živaković - Kerže, Stradanja i pamćenja - Holokaust u Osijeku i život koji se nastavlja, Osijek 2006. ISBN 953-6659-24-7 .
- Tomo Šalić, Židovi u Vinkovcima i okolici, Osijek 2002. ISBN 953-6742-01-2 .