Danon Dr Jakov - Jadovno 1941.

Community was a member of the Association of the Belgrade Jewish Communities. In
Derventa Jews were gradually included in the business and city management. The longer
periods of time however had their representatives in the Municipal Council Derventa. One of
the most active councillors was Dr. Joseph Grünberg, a doctor who carried out this duty
repeatedly in few mandates.
Jews, especially businessmen and traders actively worked both in commercial and
vocational chambers and in trade union organizations fighting for the rights of workers (So
Ashkenazi Levi, carpenter's apprentice was a member of the Steering Board of the branch of
the League of Workers in Derventa). As a member of Steering Board of Inter federal Union
in June 1923 were involved Leon Abinun, the President and Jozef Pjenki, the locksmith.
In all Jewish families, was nurtured the love for music, and the members of these
families went to Vienna in order to acquire the necessary knowledge in the field of musical
art. It is known that only from a large family of Levi Pesah: Buki, Levi, Erna and Regina in a
private Viennese Academy of Music acquired a rich musical education. When celebrating all
traditional Jewish holidays, events, was known Levi Eskenazi, who playing to the guitar the
people, and who also sometimes used to play with friends in the gardens and cafes.
Specific and defic at the time were occupations by which the Jews were known not
only in Derventa, but throughout the world, next to the doctor, pharmacist, artist were also
distinguished professors and one of them was professor of mathematics in High School
Derventa. Dr Danilo Salom, who was a favourite among the students and citizens, and was
an accomplished professional and an excellent teacher. Bosnian famous writer Meša
Selimović in his "Memories" captures his tragic end. In Tuzla, where at the beginning of the
war, he was removed from Derventa, professor Salom was caught by Ustashe youth, and to
the great sorrow of his former students, was in many ways abused and tortured in the house
and on the streets of the city. Salom ended in Jasenovac.
In Derventa worked a small number of officials in the city. Bela Rubinstein was
the municipal official and employee of sports, Chairman Sports Club "Rapid" and the member
of Sports Club "Citizens". Certain G. Levinger was a bank clerk in the State Bank in
Derventa and later carried out the same work in Sarajevo.
In the domain of sports activities, football was the game No.1 in Derventa. As players
who are especially emphasized Levi Pesah - Buki, brothers Levi and Moni Eskenazi, and
brothers Pesah, Sado and Jozef. They played in sports clubs in Derventa "Citizens" and
"Rapid".
On the eve of World War II, the Holocaust of Jews in Derventa in 1941, according to
available resources were 40 families with about 165 members who mostly died in the
concentration camp in Gospić and Jadovno and in system of concentration camps Stara
Gradiška -Jasenovac. After the concordat with the Vatican and the establishment of the Third
Reich with the annexation of Austria 1936th year by Germany, several Jewish families from
Vienna and Graz comes to Derventa. At that time came with the families Dr Adalbert Sendri,
who was a doctor in the school department, and Dr. Stephen Policer, called Pišta, the head of
hygiene dispensary and Dr. Hercog - specialists in internal diseases and all were upon the
formation of criminal Quisling NDH in force of circumstances left for Partisans. Dr Sendri
was a doctor at the Military Partisan’s Hospital in Teslić, and Dr Policer the Head of medical
facilities, of the Fifth and Sixth Brigade, the Fourth Krajina Division. Dr Hercog, as an
experienced cardiologist, treated patients of all society levels, often going in home visits.
With this group of settlers arrived academic painters Margo and Riketa. New residents
quickly fit in urban areas, and their professional knowledge and skills in a short period
contributed to cultural image and the improvement of the Derventa city. By occupation and
the collapse of Yugoslavia and the establishment of NDH, in the district Derventa appeared
antisemitism, that in a short time, but according the specific plan the system of anti Jewish
regulations led to the socio-economic discredit, and then the general looting of the Jewish
movable and immovable property by the Germans and Ustashe, who according their genocide
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