In the story of the former Yugoslavia, many scholars neglect the contribution of the nuanced narrative by Yugoslavia’s Jewish populations. For the most part Yugoslav Jews were seamlessly weaved into the fabrics of the former Yugoslavia, though they emerged at its demise in surprising ways. The Jewish community in Sarajevo, for example, provided humanitarian aid during the siege of the city through the humanitarian organization La Beneveolencija, offering daily necessities to Sarajevans in addition to planning evacuation efforts for both Jews and Muslims (shielding many Bosnian Muslims from genocide). When most constituent groups of the former Yugoslavia looked inward, the Jews reached out and embraced all. There is something peculiar about a group, which has a strong collective memory as victims of atrocity, are put in the place as bystanders to atrocity. This talk will aim to better understand Jewish identity in Yugoslavia, and its implication on the wars that saw its dissolution and afterward.
Email lwalbrun@wisc.edu for zoom link
Sydney Verel is a Graduate Student at Indiana University’s Robert F. Byrnes Russian and East European Institute, who focuses on ethnopolitical relations and identities in the decline of Yugoslavia. She is also a recipient of the Ann and David Erne Fellowship for Serbian studies.
This event is hosted by the Balkan Badger Association.