Zagreb, (IKA) – The author of the book When Courage Prevailed: The Rescue and Survival of Jews in the Independent State of Croatia 1941-1945, Esther Gitman, Ph.D., delivered a lecture entitled “The Rescue of 169 Jewish Physicians and Their Families” on Wednesday, October 24, at the Croatian Catholic University in Zagreb.
Dr. Gitman pointed out that as early as May 1941, a sizable number of Jewish physicians were deported to concentration camps, while the majority of those remaining who had been in the civil service or private practice soon lost their jobs. The idea of sending Jewish physicians to Bosnia originated with Dr. Miroslav Schlesinger, a Jewish physician from Zagreb. The plan was presented to the minister of health. After it was accepted by the Independent State of Croatia, it represented a chance of survival for those Jewish physicians who volunteered for a mission to treat endemic syphilis among the Muslim population in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Those who signed up became contractual employees of the Independent State of Croatia. The duration of employment was not defined. The contract merely stated that it would be honored as long as both sides abided by its terms.
Dr. Gitman presented a table showing the rescue of the Jewish physicians in the medical mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Home Guard Army. In the four groups that went to Bosnia and Herzegovina were 142 Jewish physicians, of whom 21 were women, and in the group serving in the Home Guard Army there were 27 Jewish physicians, for a total of 169. Of these, 98 survived the war, 45 were killed and the fates of 26 are unknown.
In the lecture, Dr. Gitman also presented a series of documents, photos and collected statements. A surviving member of the mission in Bosnia, Dr. Teodor Grüner, was unable to attend the lecture due to the infirmities of age, although his presence had been anticipated.
The rector of the Croatian Catholic University, Dr. Željko Tanjić, thanked Dr. Gitman for her presence at the CCU, where she lectures to a group of students on the rescue and survival of Jews in the Independent State of Croatia. “This is an opportunity to learn about an important and in many ways, unfortunately, tragic part of our Croatian history”, said Rector Tanjić.
Dr. Jure Krišto, a senior researcher at the Croatian Institute of History and lecturer at the CCU, briefly commented on Dr. Gitman’s book, noting that both the book and her presence have contributed to the healing of the Croatian society. “I particularly think and believe that the fundamental idea of the CCU was that slanted attitudes toward historical facts create an unhealthy atmosphere and sickness in the Croatian society, and this is not good historiography. Dr. Gitman’s attitude toward historical facts is honest, objective and professional. That she is a Jewish survivor of the Independent State of Croatia makes her interpretation historically valuable, which the CCU wants to convey to its students,” said Dr. Krišto.
The dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, Damir Boras, Ph.D., emphasized that these findings will certainly be of value for the Department of Judaism at his faculty.
In addition to students and staff of the CCU, the lecture was also attended by Auxiliary Bishop Mijo Gorski of Zagreb; Dean Ivan Šestak, Ph.D., of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Society of Jesus, the vice chairman of the Committee of the Croatian Parliament for Foreign Policy, Davor Ivo Stier; and the director of Kršćanska sadašnjost, Robert Šreter, M.S., as well as representatives of the Croatian Medical Association and the Croatian Nursing Council.