Serbian-Jewish Friendship Society
Encyclopedia
The Serbian-Jewish Friendship Society was founded in Belgrade
, Serbia in 1987 by Klara Mandić, who was also the society's spokesperson. The society was formed with the professed primary goal to promote establishment of full diplomatic relations between Israel and Yugoslavia, an act which had previously been stymied by Tito
's regime. Born to Jewish parents at a concentration camp in Italy in 1944 and later orphaned, Mandić was adopted in Belgrade by a Serb family in 1945.
The society has been criticised in some quarters for allegedly promoting a revisionist view of the roles of Jews and Serbs as equal victims and sufferers of persecution.
In 1992, Mandić gave the American Jewish press a controversial account of Croatian forces killing a sixty-seven year old Jewish woman named Ankica Konjuh. It was later claimed that this account was false and that Konjuh was neither Jewish, nor was she killed by Croats, rather Konjuh was a Croat killed by Serbs. In December 1991, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Yugoslavia distanced itself from Mandić's claims.
She reportedly lived for nine months with the Serb paramilitary leader Dragan Vasiljković
("Captain Dragan") and was a close associate of both Radovan Karadžić
and Željko Ražnatović
known as Arkan. All three were later accused of war crimes in Croatia
by the ICTY International Warcimes Tribunal for Yugoslavia. Mandić was murdered in Belgrade in May 2001 shortly after the overthrow of Milosevic.
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia in 1987 by Klara Mandić, who was also the society's spokesperson. The society was formed with the professed primary goal to promote establishment of full diplomatic relations between Israel and Yugoslavia, an act which had previously been stymied by Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
's regime. Born to Jewish parents at a concentration camp in Italy in 1944 and later orphaned, Mandić was adopted in Belgrade by a Serb family in 1945.
The society has been criticised in some quarters for allegedly promoting a revisionist view of the roles of Jews and Serbs as equal victims and sufferers of persecution.
In 1992, Mandić gave the American Jewish press a controversial account of Croatian forces killing a sixty-seven year old Jewish woman named Ankica Konjuh. It was later claimed that this account was false and that Konjuh was neither Jewish, nor was she killed by Croats, rather Konjuh was a Croat killed by Serbs. In December 1991, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Yugoslavia distanced itself from Mandić's claims.
She reportedly lived for nine months with the Serb paramilitary leader Dragan Vasiljković
Dragan Vasiljkovic
Dragan Vasiljković nicknamed Captain Dragan was a founder and captain of the Serbian paramilitary unit called the Knindže . Currently imprisoned in Australia, he is accused of war crimes by the Republic of Croatia, wanted by Interpol...
("Captain Dragan") and was a close associate of both Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžic
Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a...
and Željko Ražnatović
Željko Ražnatovic
Željko Ražnatović , widely known as Arkan was a Serbian career criminal and later a paramilitary leader who was notable for organizing and leading a paramilitary force in the Yugoslav Wars...
known as Arkan. All three were later accused of war crimes in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
by the ICTY International Warcimes Tribunal for Yugoslavia. Mandić was murdered in Belgrade in May 2001 shortly after the overthrow of Milosevic.
Sources
- "Fascism Reawakens in Croatia, Charges Jewish Leader", The Jewish AdvocateThe Jewish AdvocateThe Jewish Advocate is a Jewish weekly newspaper serving Greater Boston and the New England area. It was established in 1902, and is the oldest continuously-circulated English-language Jewish newspaper in the United States...
, 24-30 January 1992