Danon Dr Jakov - Jadovno 1941.

counting was not being taught, what was the father’s concern. The female children were
getting the basic knowledge on religion in the family.
By introducing of communal tuition in the state’s schools, it was being taught the
religious instructions. The duty of a religious teacher for the Jewish children was being
performed by rabbi Juda Atijas. The children, who, practically, could not finish the grammar
school, were learning the crafts.
The Jews were living in almost all parts of the town, and there was not the street
ghetto at all, so that the old Jews of Bihać were mainly declaring themselves as Bihać people.
The famous Jewish families of the town of Bihać, by number, perculiarity, participation and
roles in NLM, were Alhalel, Kavezon, Atijas, Abinun, Levi, Baruh, Pinto, Maestro and
Altarac.
They lived in wooden houses (Ashkenazy) with the classic Bosnian furniture: low
tables and chairs, sećija-banch and dolap-closet. They were mainly dealing trade and crafts.
Those were the crafts specific for the Jews: tinsmith’s and shoemaker’s. They had the shops
in the downtown and Otoka.
Kavezon and Atijas had sawmills, sheep and orchards in Golubić. Jako Atijas was
being mentioned already in 1930 as the owner of the sawmill in Golubić. They had the shops
of mixed goods (life groceries, various kinds textile and leather), which was being driven by
caravans from Banja Luka. The changed economic conditions, with the penetrating of a
foreign capital through the state’s investments on the exploitation of natural richness, brought
to the further prosperity of the area, with the widening of the volume of the trade, which
crossed local borders of Banja Luka’s downtown and reached to Senj, Vienna,Trst and
Budapest. Fridman opened the paperhanger shop, and Altarac were being developing the
leather trade and shoemaker shop. The first World wart in 1914 took many Jewish young men
in war, and, at the same time, stopped the development of economic flows in Bihać, what
brought to the poverty which did not bypass some Jewish families. It became more expressed
after the completion of the war, and, in fear from the same one, it was felt the wish to educate
more young people. Agreat role in further education and tuition of the young "La
Benevolencija" played, which was working on the whole territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The scholarships made possible that, around 8 students, mainly from Bihać, to have finished
the studies successfully.
On the eve of the World War II 168 Jews lived in Bihać. The first German troops
came to Bihać on 13 th and Italian ones on 17 th April, 1941. The power was being kept by the
Ustashas. It was forbidden the public reading of Torra, and the synagougue itself was robbed,
destroyed and demolished. The agents were set in the Jewish shops, while the owners of the
shops were set as a free manpower. All Jews having been in the state service were sacked
without the right on the pension. The Jews had to register and wear a yellow strip. With help
of German and Italian Fascist military forces, the Ustashas authorities, as it was about to be
shown, of Nazi creation ISC, were predetermined for robbery, converting and physical
liquidation of the Jews, Serbs, Gypsies and all other forces, who were opposed to to the
regime of the ruling clique, regardless the color, religion and nation, under the wings of Holly
Chair. The Ustasha’s regime came to power with the great help of local priests of Catholic
church, who appeared as main organizers of the local Ustasha’s authority, as the preachers.
Ljubomir Kvaternik was appointed for a great head of a tribal state, Pero Šimić from Zavolj
for an Ustasha center, and the president of the district court was Jakov Džal, a lawyer from
Bihać.
The Jews were the first ones on the blow. Pero Šimić, a student from Skočaj, now as
an Ustasha’s center, gave the order to the Jews that they had to collect 25 kg of gold and 100
kg of silver for 6 hours, what was a game of a classical tribute, because, after that, there
followed the arrestings and robberies of the Jewish property. The Temple was simply robbed,
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