Jevrejski hod kroz bosansku historiju
The Jewish Path Through Bosnian History

Summary/Abstract: After their expulsion from Spain, the Jews found shelter in the lands of the Ottoman Empire. Special hospitality was offered to them by the Sultan Mehmed II El Fatih after he conquered Constantinople. This was the time when they arrived in Bosnia and Sarajevo. In the Ottoman Empire they had a privileged position, apart from some exceptions in regard to clothing, riding horses through towns etc. They engaged in craftsmanship, trade, banking, industry, and other pursuits which improved the Bosnian society. From other free professions most of them were doctors. More than one half of all doctors in Bosnia and Dubrovnik were of Jewish descent. During the Second World War they were subjected to genocide. From 12000 Jews in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1941, 9000 of them lost their lives until the end of the war. Apart from human losses, they also suffered great material damage. With the creation of the state of Israel, many of them moved to the Middle East. The war waged from 1992 to 1995 additionally reduced the number of Jews in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Only a small number of them returned. Jewish communities today exist in major cities of Bosnia and Herzgovina (Sarajevo, Mostar, Banja Luka). The Jewish community of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a member of many World and European Jewish associations. The Jews from Bosnia and Herzegovina cherish their memories of their old homeland in their societies in Israel. The National Museum in Sarajevo proudly keeps and preserves the Haggadah, a master piece of Jewish and World art, a Jewish manuscript which is a representative of the famous Spanish illumination art of the second half of the 14th century. The Haggadah was brought to Bosnia in the 16th century.

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