Book on the Righteous - Jevrejska opština Zemun

Righteous Among The Nations - Serbia
Historical Background
the ratio of their numbers in the total count of inhabitants.
Of the 11.223 students in Yugoslavia in 1923, there
were 436 Jews or (3, 88%). In 1929 the number of Jewish
students grew faster than that of other students so
that out of 13.544 students, 582 or 4, 29% were Jews.
The professional structure of Jews defined their participation
in different fields of economy. Their economic
wealth largely exceeded the ratio of their participation
in the total populace. An explanation to the fact
is found both in historical conditions of their progress
and the challenge of living and working conditions
Jewish Communities had to adapt to; on the whole,
unfavourable and frequently hostile. The outcome of
such circumstances resulted in their traditional intermediary
role in the structure of economy while their
own interconnectedness and mobility of capital brought
impetus both to them as a group as well as to the greater
community they belonged to. The role of Jewish Communities
in the modernization of Balkan societies and
acceptance of European standards was unquestionably
large. Frequently Jewish capital had a dual effect, being
nationally and internationally connected to Jewish capital
in the great and developed countries. When it came
to Balkan countries, such connections were primarily
maintained with Austro-Hungary and the formidable
Jewish Communities existing in Vienna and Budapest.
This association had great impact on domestic capital
and subsequently on the recognition of the Jewish Community
within the country’s social environment post
1918.
In the newly founded state of Yugoslavia, the prewar
borderline regions of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy
where Jewish capital had already acquired a firm standing,
Slovenia excepted, now became the state’s most
active and developed areas. Thus Jewish domestic and
foreign capital gained an important place in the economy
of Yugoslavia. The influence of Jews on economy and
their interconnections throughout the territory of Yugo-
slavia contributed to the strengthening of the country’s
cohesive forces. 9
The legal status of the Jewish Community in the new
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was regulated
by a liberal Constitution adopted on Vidovdan (June
28 th ) 1921. The constitution proscribed freedom of faith
and values and full equality of all religions recognized
by law, i.e., their religious communities. Such communities
were free to self-administer all matters pertinent
to their religion and take charge of management of their
memorials, bequests and funds. “Approved and recognized,”
i.e., religious communities that were acknowledged
by law were the Serbian Orthodox Church, the
Roman Catholic with the Greco Catholic Church, the
Evangelistic Church, Islam and the faith of Moses. Such
status of the Jewish Religious Community was guaranteed
by the new September or Oktroisani Constitution
of 1931. 10
According to official records, among the four main religions
the status of the Jewish Religious Community
was equal to that of the Orthodox, Roman-Catholic and
Islam with equal recognition given to their respective
patriarchs. Representatives of the Jewish faith were
regularly invited and present at major public gatherings
and other state events of importance.
It follows that in Yugoslavia not only were religious
rights recognized to the Jewish Community but also
the right to self-regulate community inter-relations.
However, the community was not given the status of a
national ethnic minority, a question never raised by the
Jewish Community itself. It should be noted that the position
granted to the Jewish Community in Yugoslavia
was in general appreciated since, at the time, Jews did
not have a national state of their own.
A further facet of the affiliation of the Yugoslav state
and the Jewish Community was the high percentage
of Jews enrolled in the active, and, especially, in the
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