Righteous Among The Nations of the Balkans III: countries of the former Kingdom (later Republic) of Yugoslavia

Righteous Among The Nations - Yad Vashem

"And so we must know these good people who helped Jews during the Holocaust. We must learn from them, and in gratitude and hope, we must remember them."

Elie Wiesel

in the photo: Righteous Among the Nations medal

A short glimpse into the history of former Yugoslavia: 1918 - Today (2023)

1. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia (pre WWII):

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatia & Slovenia) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" (literally "Land of the South Slavs") was its colloquial name due to its origins. The official name of the state was changed to "Kingdom of Yugoslavia" by King Alexander I known as "Alexander the Unifier" (on 3 October 1929).

2. Yugoslavia in WWII:

In April 1941, Yugoslavia was occupied and partitioned by the Axis powers. Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria annexed some border areas outright:
Germany annexed most of Slovenia.
Italy added Dalmatia, part of Macedonia and Kosovo, Montenegro, southerly part of Croatia, and more than a third of western Slovenia to the Italian Empire.
Croatia was recognized by the Axis as the Independent State of Croatia (under King Tomislav II).
Serbian territory became a military administration of Germany under Serbian military ruler and a puppet monarch (King Peter II - till 1943).
Hungary occupied several northern regions.
Shortly after Nazi Germany attacked the USSR on 22 June 1941, the communist-led republican Yugoslav Partisans led by Josip Broz Tito, on orders from Moscow, launched a guerrilla liberation war fighting against the Axis forces and their locally established puppet regimes, so called the National Liberation War or Socialist Revolution (communist historiography).
After the invasion of Italy by the Axis powers in September 1943, the Italian governorates in Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Slovenia were occupied by the Germans and placed under direct Nazi control. In parallel, a Democratic Federal Yugoslavia was proclaimed by the Partisan resistance.

3. Yugoslavia post WWII:

The Yugoslav Partisans led by Marshal Josip Broz Tito were able to expel the Axis from Serbia in 1944 and from the rest of Yugoslavia in 1945. In January 1946 a communist government was established, the country was renamed as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, establishing, according to the Soviet system, six Social Republics: SR Bosnia and Herzegovina; SR Croatia; SR Macedonia; SR Montenegro; SR Serbia; and SR Slovenia. Marshal Josip Broz Tito became President. In 1963 the country was renamed Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Tito was named President for life. After Tito's death on 4 May 1980, ethnic tensions grew in Yugoslavia hampered also by poor economy. The situation worsened in the next decade and in 1991-2 Yugoslavia broke down to individual republics declaring independence. Ethnic, economic and territorial disputes initiated bloody civil wars that lasted till 2001 when the UN-sponsored Succession Agreement signed in Vienna, divided all assets of former Yugoslavia between five Successor States, that in 2006/8 became the seven states of today (2023): Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; Kosovo; Montenegro; North Macedonia; Serbia and Slovenia.

Holocaust in Yugoslavia in WWII.

From April 1941, the Yugoslav Jewish community was the target of the brutal anti-Semitic policies of the occupying forces and local collaborators. During the four war years, 66,000 people, 80% of the community, were murdered at places of execution and in death camps in Yugoslavia or in territories of the German Reich. Few Jewish citizens were sheltered and rescued by non-jewish friends and acquaintances at risking their own lives and the lives of their family members.

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Righteous Among the Nations Honored by Yad Vashem by 1 January 2022:

In 1963 Yad Vashem embarked upon a worldwide project to pay tribute to the Righteous Among the Nations who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. This represents a unique and unprecedented attempt by the victims to honor individuals from within the nations of perpetrators, collaborators and bystanders, who stood by the victims' side and acted in stark contrast to the mainstream of indifference and hostility that prevailed in the darkest time of history.

If in your Geni family tree you have an individual whose life is associated with countries of the former Yugoslavia (see the list below) and who saved Jews during Holocaust, his/her name is most probably listed below. It would be great if within "profile description" there would be brief biography and the story related to her/his being honored as Righteous Among The Nations.

• Within opened profile page use the 'Actions' button to "Add to project". Select this project (you must be on the list of collaborators in this project to see it on the selection list). You may add any public profile that you have permission to edit. If you do not have permission to edit the profile, a request is sent to the profile manager to add the profile to the project. Or - you could contact one of the project collaborator(s) who will gladly assist or do it for you.

Righteous Among The Nations of the Balkans include: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and former Yugoslavia.
They are divided into three separate projects (due to the large number of names):
Righteous Among The Nations of the Balkans I: Albania & Bulgaria
Righteous Among The Nations of the Balkans II: Greece
Righteous Among The Nations of the Balkans III: Former Yugoslavia (this project)

Righteous Among The Nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

• Eberhardt, Josip & his wife Rozika Eberhardt both saved the Jewish family of Leon Cabilha during WWII.
• Fazlinovic, Hasija & Sulejman Fazlinovic, Sulejman Fazlinović and his wife Hasija protected four Jewish children, by taking them around "Greater Croatia" (which included Bosnia-Hercegovina during the war) disguised as their own offspring.
• Griner, Franjo & his wife Lidija rescued and raised nine-years-old Alisa who was left alone after all her family was caught by the Nazi Bosnian collaborators and were killed in concentration camps. After the war ended, Alisa emigrated to Palestine.
• Hardaga, Izet & his wife Bachriya sheltered the Jewish family of Joseph Kabilio, his wife Rivka, and their children Benjamin and Tova in their home during WWII.
• Hardaga, Mustafa & his wife Zejneba (Susic) sheltered the Jewish family of Joseph Kabilio, his wife Rivka, and their children Benjamin and Tova in their home during WWII.
• Hatibovic, Rezak and his brother Sulejman sheltered two jewish families (six women altogether) at their homes and between hiding places during the whole war, providing them with shelter, food, fire-woods and medical help when needed - risking their lives by doing so.
• Kapetanović, Šemso; sisters: Esma, Hasna, Vasva, and mother Sultanija. The Kapetanovićs host family mother, invited to her house the Sonnenschein family. It was 1942 and Nazi-style persecution of Jews in Yugoslavia started. The guests were considered family relatives. At the end of 1942, Semso Kapetanović assisted in getting travel papers to Switzerland for the Sonnenscheins and in few days they left safely.
• Komljenovic, Borislav, & his sister Borjana & his mother Ljeposava were declared righteous in 1995 for rescuing Benjamin Urbach.
• Korkut, Dervis & his wife Servet Korkut Hid the Sarajevo Hagada (dated ca 1350). They also sheltered Donkica Papo and two other Jewish families from the Nazi collaborators in WWII.
• Latal, Andrija, a devoted catholic, sheltered his jewish wife Amalia and later on also her relatives: Laura Elias, her mother-in-law, Rahel Picolino Elias, and her sister-in-law, Lisa Elias Mešulam, until Bosnia was liberated in May 1945.
• Milosevic, Vid & his brother Mato Milosevic were carpenters and had a joint carpentry workshop in Sarajevo city center. After Nazi Germany and its allies invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941, they hid their Jewish friend Leon Altarac, who was also a carpenter, in their workshop. As the persecution of the Jews intensified, more Jews found refuge in her workshop, including Moris Salom, Haim Altarac, Mika Altarac, Josef Stern and the two Daniti brothers. However, the Milosevic brothers and all the Jews present there were arrested by the Ustasha in June 1941 and taken to the Jasenovac concentration camp .
• Perkusic Gavro. During the war, in Fascist rules Bosnia, Gavro Perkusic sheltered Menahem Montiljo, his wife and their two children, in his home in Sarajevo. When a raid was planned to round up Jews and Serbs he hid the father in his tailor shop. Several times, Mrs. Montilio and the children were upheld in detention centers but Gavro got them released. After the war, Gavro Perkusic was awarded by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations for saving the Montilios lives, but the Montilios pointed out that the Muslim neighbors also protected them and never disclosed the hiding place.
• Pozder, Salih was a well-known Muslim tailor in Sarajevo. In 1941 a Gestapo headquarter office was established there and the officers became his clients. By the Nazi regulations he was not allowed to employ Jews, but he managed to get from the Gestapo officers a working permit for his jewish worker Bukica-Luna Altaraz. Later on he was able to purchase fake documents to bring also Luna Altaraz seven-year-old niece Rachel Montiljo from Croatia. Salih cared for Rachel, and later on married Luna and all were safe till the war ended.
• Pozderac, Nurija & his wife Devleta. Nurija was a Bosnian teacher, politician, member of the Yugoslav Muslim Organization, and local liberation leader during World War II, participating in the National Yugoslav Liberation Struggle. He and his wife Devieta rescuing and sheltering Jewish people during the Holocaust.
• Prohic, Avdo & his mother Esma: for taking in Nada, a Jewish toddler after the Nazis killed her father in1943 and after her mother died soon after. Avdo Prohic and his mother Esma first cared for Nada in their home in Gracanica. But when it became too dangerous for her there, they sent the girl to Zagreb to live with their relative Sabrija Prohic until the end of the war. This is where Nada’s relatives found her and took her with them to Israel.
• Prohic, Sabrija & Safeta: for taking in Nada, a Jewish toddler after the Nazis killed her father in1943 and after her mother died soon after. Avdo Prohic and his mother Esma first cared for Nada in their home in Gracanica. But when it became too dangerous for her there, they sent the girl to Zagreb to live with their relative Sabrija Prohic until the end of the war. This is where Nada’s relatives found her and took her with them to Israel.
• Ristic, Risto, a communist Serb from Bijeljina, learned on August 2, 1942 that a special unit of the Ustasha would arrest and deport all the remaining Jews the following day. Ristic then ran from one Jewish house to the next, warning the residents of the impending danger and telling them to flee as quickly as possible. He then helped the Jewish Volah family of six escape to a neighboring village, where they were able to stay until 1943. Thanks to Ristic's initiative, more than twenty Jewish fellow citizens were saved from persecution.
• Sabanovic, Mevle sheltered Sara, Joseph and Victor de Bartoli - a Jewish family, in Nazi controlled Large Croatia, and thus saved their lives
• Sadiq-Saralop, Ahmed rescued and sheltered the Papo jewish family during WWII in his home. Someone informed the Ustasha about it and Ahmed was arrested and then deported to Jasenovac concentration camp where he was killed for rescuing Jews. All the Papo’s survived the war.
• Saracevic, Elza & her husband Ferid and their children Sead and Emira. They were friendly with Dr. Leon Peric, their children's jewish pediatrician. When the Germans entered Sarajevo in April 1941, Saracevic invited Peric and his wife Lili to move into his home. Leon was eventually arrested and died in a concentration camp. Lili's brother & his wife were also arrested and murdered.
• Sebek (Krajina), Zora hid the Jewish refugee Fritz Cahn from Germany for two months in her apartment, which she shared with her brother and mother. Sebek's brother, who belonged to the Bosnian resistance movement, put Cahn in contact with the partisans, with whom he fought until the end of the war. Zora Sebek also helped other Jewish acquaintances. So she got false identity papers and smuggled two Jewish girls from Sarajevo to Mostar.
• Roza Sober-Dragoje was born in about 1922 and came from a Christian family. She and Zekira Besrević rescued Gracija Kamhi (later Džamonja) and her uncle from their house where they were hiding when the Nazis took other members of their family away. There was a proclamation in Bosnia allowing citizens to take over Jewish businesses, and Besrević took over a beauty parlor where Gracija Kamhi was an apprentice (her uncle owned it). Roza Sober-Dragoje and Besrević became the parlor's managers, and there they hid Gracija Kamhi and her uncle until they could escape to Mostar, which was under Italian occupation.
• Till, Adam. After the Nazi Germans and their allies invaded Yugoslavia, Adam Till sought residence and work permits for his Jewish employees Jahiel Finzi and Reiss. From the summer of 1941 to September 1942, he hid his employee Isak Papo, his mother Hana Papo and his sister Erna Papo in his office and provided them with food. In September 1943 he brought them to Mostar, hidden in a truck loaded with building materials. Later in the year he also managed to bring Isak Papo into the Italian occupation zone.

Righteous Among The Nations of Croatia:

A - E

• Antunac, Ivan
• Bartulovic, Olga & Dragica
• Bauer, Cedomir; son Branko
• Bedrica, Mate
• Belajac, Ivana
• Belic, Jozefina, daughter Djurdja (Peternel)
• Beritic, Djina-Gertruda; son Tihomil
• Buterin, Matej 2967 1984 Car, Karel & Marija
• Cargonja, Bela-Veronika
• Carnelutti, Alfred & Vera & son Mario
• Cop, Vid
• Crndic Anka
• Deletis, Ratimir
• Djerek, Agata
• Dolinar, Zarko; brother Boris
• Ercegovic, Miho; son Velimir

F - J

• Filipovic, Prof. Marijan & Kristina
• Firinger, Kamilo 14036 2021 Fuchs, Ruza
• Fulgosi, Ante
• Glojnaric, Mirko & mother Amalija & sister Blazenka
• Golubic, Antun & Gabrijela
• Guina, Marica
• Hocenski, Franjo & Milica
• Horvat, Pavao
• Hrnkas, Jozo & Katica (Crnkovic)
• Jagodic, Joza
• Jakic, Anna
• Jankovic, Stjepan
• Jerbic, Milan
• Jesih, Dr. Dragutin
• Joris Denise
• Juric, Andrija & brother Nikola
• Jurin, Jozica (Sister Cecilija)

K - O

• Kalogjera, Ante9395 2001
• Kalogjera, Jaksa
• Kerstner, Zvonko & Marija
• Kirec, Miroslav
• Kirhofer, Stjepan
• Kohn-Turkovic, Anna
• Kovacevic, Pavao & Katarina & children: Anna, Katarina, Marija, Petar, Franjo
• Kovacic, Hedviga & Vinko
• Kraljevic, Ada & Ivo
• Kresic, Zdenka
• Krtic, Frano
• Kumric, Tomas & Iva
• Lang, Ljubica
• Loncar, Ankica & son Darko
• Malcic, Juca
• Merlic, Tomislav
• Neuman, Olga (Rajsek)
• Obradovic, Olga; sister Ida
• Oruzec (Papa), Djuro & Kata
• Ostric, Anka

P - T

• Pavlek, Juraj
• Pavlovic, Amadeja (Mother Superior)
• Pirovic, Marija (Sister Karitas)
• Podolski Stefanija
• Poklepovic, Andrija
• Praschek, Dr.Bronislawa & son Dr. Wladislaw
• Pribilovich, Josip
• Radonic, Jakov & Antica
• Roic, Boris 8135 1998 Roter Rudi
• Roth, August & Branka & daughter Dushka
• Runjak, Ivan & Marija
• Schmidlehner, Drago & Draga
• Sielski, Stanko
• Siljeg, Stanko & Pera
• Silobrcic, Mihovil
• Sopianac, Franjo
• Sopianac, Lela; son Ivan
• Sragalj, Antun & Katarina
• Stefan, Lujo
• Taborsky, Emanuel & Mandica

U - Z

• Ugljesic, Zlatan & Milica
• Ujevic, Mate
• Valentintic Ludwik & Vera (Oberiter)
• Vrancic, Ljudevit
• Vranetic, Ivan
• Vukovic, Dane
• Vuletic, Antun
• Zagar, Ljuba; sister Vera Rousal
• Zivkovic-Stefan, Ljubica
• Ziza, Antun & Miroslava
• Zubic, Silvestar

Righteous Among The Nations of Kosovo:

• None

Righteous Among The Nations of Montenegro:

• Zankovic, Petar () was a Serb from present-day Montenegro who helped shelter three Jewish families throughout World War II.

Righteous Among The Nations of North Macedonia:

• Altiparmak, Boris M. & Vaska
• Cekada, Smiljan
• Hadzi-Mitkov, Dr. Todor & Pandora
• Ribarev, Trajko & Dragica
• Siljanovski, Stojan M.
• Todorov, Aleksandar & his wife Blaga. In 1943, the Todorovs sheltered 4-years-old Bronia Bechar, the daughter of their Jewish friends Aaron and Rivkah Bechor, who were arrested for being Jews and deported to Treblinka Concentration Camp where they were murdered. Bronia was raised as their illegitimate daughter until 1952 when she left for Israel.

Righteous Among The Nations of Serbia:

A - E

• Andeselec, Marija; ds. Natalija & Vera
• Arandjelovic, Vera
• Arsenijevic, Ljubivoje & Vujka & son
• Baic, Klara
• Begic, Midhat & Mauricette
• Bencevic, Antun; sister Mira
• Blagojevic, Liuba
• Blendic, Djordje & Mitra
• Blendic, Jovan, son Nikola, grandson Nikolica
• Bogicevic, Mijajlo & Milica
• Bondzic, Borivoje & Grozdana
• Botic, Radovan
• Bradic, Sava & Jovana
• Canadi, Mariska
• Djonovic, Radovan & Rosa
• Djosevic-Adanja, Dara
• Djurkovic, Aleksandar
• Dudas, Palo & Anna (Hrubik)

F - K

• Glavaski, Jelena
• Gligorijevic, Milan
• Imeri-Mihaljic, Hajrija
• Jakovljevic, Andja
• Jankovic, Ratko
• Janosevic, Katica
• Jovanovic, Bogdan & Desanka; ch: Nemanja, Nada
• Jovanovic, Danica; ds. Olga & Mileva
• Jovanovic, Dusan
• Jovanovic, Pero
• Jovanovic, Stanko & Ljubinka
• Jovanovic, Tihomir & Milka
• Knezevic, Slobodan & Milenija
• Knezevic, Vojislav
• Kostic, Ljubomir & wife; ch: Dragoslav, Bosiljka
• Kovanovic, Divna
• Kozarski, Julis & Stevo; ch. Bato, Olga
• Kudlik, Bela & Katerina
• Kukovic, Olga
• Kvasina, Smilja & dght. Milena Markovic

L - R

• Lepcevic, Mileta
• Ljubicic, Lazar & Mila
• Macasovic, Anna & Istvan
• Mandusic, Ljubica (Gazikalovic) & dght. Jelica Rankovic
• Marinkovic, Dorde & Stanka
• Markovic-Levec, Martina
• Milenkovic, Ljubo
• Milenkovic, Svetozar & Vida
• Milharcic, Lujza (Vlahovic)
• Milutinovic, Predrag & Ljubinka & dght. Ruzica
• Mladenovic, Biserka & Vladimir
• Nedeljkovic, Radisav
• Nikolic, Rasa
• Novakovic, Krsta
• Obradovic, Stana
• Panic, Dr. Svetozar & Angelina
• Pascan, Nadezda
• Pejic, Dr. Mirko & Nevenka & son Aleksandar
• Peric, Mladen
• Petrovic, Aleksandar
• Petrovic, Kosa
• Popovic, Djordje & Marija
• Popovic, Predrag
• Prica, Spasenije
• Protic, Simeon & Miroslava
• Rasic, Veljko & Helena

S - Z

• Stamenkovic Jelenko & Ljubica
• Stefanovic, Mile; sister Mileva Seka Svjetlicic
• Stevanovic, Bogoljub
• Stojadinovic, Dr. Miloslav
• Stojadinovic, Zora
• Stojanovic, Andrei & Katarina
• Stojanovic, Randjel 1
• Stokovic, Dragotin & Zivka
• Szagmeiszter, Laszlo & wife
• Tabakovic, Dr. Pavle
• Todorovic, Mita & Kruna
• Todorovic, Zika & Rada
• Tomic, Desanka
• Tomic, Marija (Sanc)
• Tosic, Milorad
• Trajkovic, Dragoljub
• Vasic, Predrag
• Vasovic, Radmila
• Veljkovic, Zlata & parents Miroslav & wife
• Zamboki, Pal
• Zdravkovic, Predrag & Stana

Righteous Among The Nations of Slovenia:

• Bozic, Ana
• Breskvar, Ivan from Varaždin (1905, Ljubljana, Slovenia - 1986, Varaždin, Croatia), saved two Jewish boys, Artur Rosner and Vedran Hary, from the holocaust during the Second World War in Varaždin. Ivan expressed the essence of his heroism with the statement "You're either human or you're not. There is no third".
• Horvath, Elizabeta & her parents Mihael Rozanc & Ema Rozanc Elizabeta sheltered the boy Tomaž Zajc at her parents home and other places after all his relatives were arrested and sent to different concentration camps in Nazi occupied Europe. His parents survived the imprisonment and after the war came for him. He lives in Ljubljana with wife Gordana with whom he has two adult sons, and is grandfather to a girl and a boy.
• Piculin, Zora rescued little boy Saul Gatenjo from the deportation fate of his parents, and raised him during the war.
• Puncuh Franjo was a dealer/agent of a large manufacturer in Warsaw, Poland. The Yugoslav Foreign Office named him honorary vice-consul in Warsaw. In 2004, Yad Vashem proclaimed him Serbian Righteous Among Nations for rescuing a number of Jews during the occupation.
• Tumpej, Andrej sheltered Antonija Kalef and her daughters Matilda and Rahela in his parish and supplied them with forged IDs of distant relatives of his. He also provided forged identity cards two other Jewish girls, but they were caught, told eho gave them the IDs, were shot and Andrej was arrested, tortured, interrogated but kept silent. He was released because of lack of evidence, but he never fully recovered from the excruciating ordeal in prison.
• Zun, Uros was an officer in the Border Police in Yugoslavia, one of the Righteous Among the Nations, during World War II he saved 16 Jewish girls from around Germany and Austria from death at the hands of the Nazis.
• Zupancic, Ivan & his wife Liubica. Slovenian Righteous Ivan and Ljubica Župančič, saved a 9 years old Jewish boy Dan Stockhamer during World War II.
• Zilavec, Aleksander & his wife Agnes sheltered Emerik Hirshl, son of their acquaintance, in a barn on their estate. After few months in hiding he was spotted and betrayed by one of his hosts relatives, arrested, interrogated and tortured. Alexander was also arrested and beaten for hiding a jew. Emerik was sent to a concentration camp, marched in the Death March, managed to escape and returned "home" (Prekmurje) by foot (200km). The Hirschl children maintain close contacts with both the Žilavec and Fartelj families.
• Fartelj, Jozef & his wife Marija & his brother Franc. Emerik Hirshl (see above), escaped a Death March, returned to Prekmurje. There the Fartelj family agreed to shelter him in their farm barn until freed by the Red Army. The Hirschl children maintain close contacts with both the Žilavec and Fartelj families.