Jevreji zdravstveni radnici Jugoslavije 1941-1945. Žrtve fašističkog terora i učesnici u Narodnooslobodilačkom ratu

Abstract

O tragediji koja je zadesila jevrejsku zajednicu u Jugoslaviii u toku Drugog svetskog rata pisano je vrlo malo, a i ono što je objavljeno do danas fragmentarnog je karaktera. Smatramo teškim propustom što preživeli Jevreji ni do danas nisu registrovali imena nekoliko hiljada postradalih i time se odužili, skromno, njihovim senama. Ako se to ne učini, oni će za buduće generacije predstavljati samo brojke. Sem toga, buduće generacije treba da budu upoznate sa subjektivnim i objekiivnim okolnostima koje su dovele do masovnog stradanja jevrejskog stanovništva u Jugoslaviji. One treba da budu upoznate i sa činjenicom da se Jevreji nisu odnosiii pasivno prema okupatoru i da su uzeli u znatnom broju učešča u oružanoj borbi protiv okupatora i njegovih pomagača zajedno s ostalim jugoslovenskim narodima. U toj borbi, koju je povela Komunistička partija Jugoslavije, Jevreji su učestvovaii kao ravnopravni članovi zajednice jugoslovenskih naroda. No, na žalost, dosadašnja istraživanja nisu dala ni približne podatke o broju Jevreja koji su učestvovali u narodnooslobodilačkom ratu i onih koji su poginuli u toj borbi. To je i razlog što i neki dobronamerni kritičari izjavIjuju da je "mali broj Jevreja učestvovao u NOR". Medutim, na osnovu naših dosadašnjih istraživanja možemo tvrditi da taj broj nije bio mali, odnosno da je procenat Jevreja učesnika u NOR isti kao kod ostalih naroda Jugoslavije. Bez sumnje bi broj Jevreja učesnika u NOR bio znatno veći, da nisu postojale mnoge objektivne okolnosti, specifične u odnosu na Jevreje, koje su bile od presudnog značaja za njihovo masovnije uključivanje u narodnooslobodilački rat. Te okolnosti ne smeju se prenebregavati pri davanju objektivne ocene o učešću Jevreja u NOR. Ovaj rad je prvi te vrste koji obuhvata jednu veću jevrejsku grupaciju - zdravstvene radnike, i to one koji su stradaii kao žrtve fašističkog terora, kao i učesnike u NOR.

ln the organization and development of the medical services on the territories which formed the newly created SHS (Yugoslavia) in 1918 the Jewish members of the medical profession played a considerable role. These territories had no medical staff of their own until the second part of the 19th century. The first trained medical staff, with a number of Jews among them, came in the second part of the 18th century from the neighbouring countries. Some of these Jewish doctors were given important responsibilities. Until the first Yugoslav trained medical staff appeared on the scene medicine was practised by “Volk-doctors” who relied on their own empiric experience. A number of these were Jews and some of them became rather famous, particularly in Bosnia. Also, there were Jews among the vendors of medicinal herbs, called ”atars”.

In the second part of the 19th century Jews from the territory of present-day Yugoslavia started to study medicine, veterinary surgery and pharmacology in the neighbouring countries as there were no such. institutions in the country. At that time their number was, however, rather limited. After WWI such university training became possible in Yugoslavia as well and the number of Jewish students increased considerably. While there were only 350 medical doctors, 64 pharmacologists and 60 veterinary surgeons when the state of SHS was created, the respective numbers of Jews in those professions before the outbreak of WWII were 1150 doctors of medicine, 350 pharmacologists and 120 veterinary surgeons. To this numbers, one should add 250 medical students, 50 students of pharmacology and 40 students of veterinary surgery. lt should be mentioned also that there was a limited number of Jews also in the supporting medical staff (hospital attendants, laboratory attendants, nurses, midwives).

In the period between the two WW, some Jews were among the best medical experts. However, only a few were on the staff of the universities (1 professor and 2 assistant professors) as their admittance was opposed by higher authorities motivated by antisemitism, more particularly since 1933 when the nazi ideology started to find its way to spread in Yugoslavia. The activity and the increasing influence of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia among the broad masses in the country brought also a number of Jews in the field of the revolutionary movement, particularly among the university students. In the years following the WWI, the role of the socialist associations in Vienna and Prague was of particular importance in this respect as a number of Jewish students joined their ranks in those cities. They studied there the ideology of communism, became members of the Communist Party and it was only natural that they continued with their revolutionary activity after their return. At the same time, a great number of Jewish students joined the revolutionary movement at the Yugoslav universities as well...