Ivo Goldstein

Jasenovac

When in the fourth century the Roman empire split into the Western and Eastern empires, the boundary between the two stretched from the Montenegrin coast up the river Drina to the confluence of the Sava and the Danube and then further north. This boundary has remained virtually unchanged for 1,500 years: the European, Catholic West and the Orthodox East meet on Slav territory. There were, and still are, ethnic similarities between the peoples on either side of the divide, but their culture and history differ fundamentally. The Croats and Croatia, on the western side of the divide, are traditionally linked with Hungarian, Italian, and German regions and Western Europe, and are also influenced by their long Mediterranean coastline. Ivo Goldstein's Croatia provides a necessary, accessible history of development of what is now an independent state. Croatia includes major sections on the early medieval Croatian state (until 1101), the periods of union with Hungary (1102-1526) and with Austria (1526-1918), incorporation in Yugoslavia (1918-91) and the creation of a sovereign state. Charting social, economic, and cultural developments, Goldstein shows us that this complex historical pattern explains many of the political developments of today.

A History

Croatia

Slavko Goldstein

Ca. 7,000-8,000 Jews, out of 12.200 who lived in Zagreb before World War II, perished under the pro-Nazi Ustaša regime. Gives a brief history of the Holocaust in Europe. Describes pre-World War II antisemitism in Croatia, and in particular in Zagreb. The establishment of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in April 1941 initiated a wave of anti-Jewish measures, including looting of Jewish property and eviction of Jews from their homes. At the end of May 1941 mass arrests of Jews began in Zagreb; they were interned in the camps Gospić, Koprivnica, Jasenovac (in which 4,000-4,500 Jews from Zagreb perished), and others. In the two deportations in August 1942 and May 1943, all but 800 "privileged" Jews of Zagreb were deported to death camps. Dwells on the exemption that the government made for some Jews (mainly baptized); there were some baptized Jews in the Ustaša movement, even in administrative positions. Relates ways in which Jews tried to save themselves (e.g. baptism, flight to the Italian-controlled areas, joining Tito's partisans). Criticizes Archbishop Stepinac who failed to condemn the crimes of the Ustasa regime. Argues that the main responsibility for the genocide of Croatian Jews lies on Eugen Dido Kvaternik, Ante Pavelić, and Vjekoslav Maks Luburić.

Holokaust u Zagrebu

FINALIST, 2016 National Jewish Book Award (Holocaust category) Published in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Holocaust in Croatia recounts the history of the Croatian Jewish community during the Second World War, with a focus on the city of Zagreb. Ivo and Slavko Goldstein have grounded their study on extensive research in recently opened archives, additionally aided by the memories of survivors to supplement and enrich the interpretation of documents. The authors' accessible narrative, here available in English for the first time, has been praised for its objectivity (including rare humane acts by those who helped to save Jews) and is complemented by a large bibliography offering an outstanding referential source to archival materials. As such, TheHolocaust in Croatia stands as the definitive account of the Jews in Croatia, up to and including the criminal acts perpetrated by the pro-Nazi Ustasha regime, adding significantly to our knowledge of the Holocaust.

Ivo Goldstein

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