The Revival of Croatian Jewry

The Jewish community of Croatia dates back to at least the 13th century, although at various later periods Jews were forbidden from settling there. At times when they could, Croatia attracted Sephardi, Moravian, and Hungarian Jews. During World War II, Croatian Jews got the worst of the Yugoslavian Holocaust, left at the mercy of the indigenous fascist movement. In recent years, Chabad emissaries have revived the community in the capital city of Zagreb, which has been augmented by an influx of Israeli medical students. Musia Kaplan tells the story of one local Jew’s first encounter with a rabbi: