Druga misija dr Davida Albale u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama 1939-1942. godine

Abstract

Na osnovu do sada neistraženog, izuzetno vrednog izvora, dnevnika dr Davida Albale, arhivskih fondova Kraljevske jugoslovenske vlade i Jugoslovenskog poslanstva u Vašingtonu, objavljenih britanskih izvora, kao i memoara i literature, u radu je istražena misija dr Albale u SAD-u od 1939. do njegove iznanadne smrti aprila 1942. godine.

In late 1939, the Yugoslav Regent, Duke Pavle, sent dr. David Albala, one of Belgrade's most prominent Jewish public figures, to a confidential mission in the U.S. Dr. Albala's task was to obtain the assistance of the U.S. government for Yugoslavia's efforts to snap out of growing international isolation. His first mission of that kind, when the Serbian government sent him to the U.S.in 1917, had been a success. In the completely changed international circumstances, marked above all with America's policy of isolation, his second mission was a failure. After the German aggression on Yugoslavia in 1941 and amid the persecution of Jews in the occupied and divided country, Albala took up the task of assisting and organizing Jewish refugees in the U.S. He was also fairly active in other major Jewish organizations, but his proposals mostly fell on deaf ears. Overwhelmed with hard work and worries, Albala died unexpectedly as the German occupiers finalized the annihilation of the Jewish community in Serbia.