NEWS
The Cultural Commission of Congregation Shaarey Zedek
takes great pride in announcing
THE ANNUAL
LAKER CONCERT
SUNDAY EVENING,
DECEMBER 11th, 1988 - 7:30 P.M.
featuring three outstanding cantors
Cantor Yaacov Motzen
Cantor Moshe Taube
of
Adath Israel Synagogue
Montreal, Canada
of
Congregation Beth Shalom
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
and
Cantor Chaim Najman
of
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
and
The Shaarey Zedek Synagogue Choir
directed by Mr. Eugene Zweig
In a gala concert of music for Chanukah, selections
from the liturgy, and from the Israeli and Yiddish
repertoire.
Admission Is Free
Refreshments Will Be Served
34
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1988
Yugoslav Jews Show
Interest In Judaism
Belgrade — The recent up-
surge of nationalism in some
parts of Yugoslavia has been
paralleled by a new interest
in Judaism among young
Yugoslav Jews.
"We now have more interest
by young people for a
religious life," said Dr. Ivan
Brandeis of the federation
here, adding that two young
men of the community are
training to be cantors, and
another went to Israel last
summer to study for the
rabbinate.
Brandeis said a group of
15-20 young men and women
regularly get together for Bi-
ble study. "The younger
generation grew up in
atheistic surroundings and
earlier showed no great in-
terest. Now it starts, and we
hope it develops."
One • sign of increased in-
terest in Judaism is that
more young people are atten-
ding Jewish functions, such
as the communal seder every
Passover.
"There are still very few,
but for us everything is
relative," said Lucy Petrovic,
the federation's secretary.
More than 80,000 Jews liv-
ed in Yugoslavia before World
War II, and nearly 70,000
were killed during the Nazi
occupation. About 6,000 Jews
are in Yugoslavia today.
The Jewish Federation lists
dozens of cities, towns and
villages with Jewish popula-
tions. Nine have synagogues
and three cities — Belgrade,
the capital, Zagreb and
Subotica — are able to muster
a minyan for services once a
week.
There is a fairly big Jewish
community in Sarajevo,
Brandeis said, but Friday
night services can't be held
for want of a minyan. "There
is no rabbi there. One
youngster is training to be a
cantor, but it will be a year or
more before he is ready to per-
form."
In fact, there is only one
full-time rabbi — Tsadik
Danon — in all of Yugoslavia.
He is based in Belgrade but
travels to other towns.
The Subotica community
functions with a young man
knowledgeable enough to con-
duct services, but most other
towns with Jewish popula-
tions may see a rabbi only
once a year, when visiting
rabbis conduct services on the
High Holidays.
In the Dalmatian coast
resort of Dubrovnik on the
Adriatic Sea, there is what
Brandeis described as a "very
beautiful
400-year-old
synagogue, but only about 20
Jews, and only seven are men.
"Sometimes, during the
tourist season, we can
organize services by finding
tourists for the minyan,"
Brandeis said. "But for now,
the synagogue is more a
tourist attraction than a
house of prayer."
According to Federation
figures, more than 1,500 Jews
live in Belgrade and more
than 1,000 each in Sarajevo
and Zagreb. Jewish museums
in Belgrade and Sarajevo
document a rich Jewish past
in Yugoslavia.
Some synagogues that sur-
vived the Nazi rampage serve
different functions. One
'The younger
generation grew
up in atheistic
surroundings and
earlier showed no
great interest.
Now it starts.
elaborate synagogue is now a
theater; another houses the
largest museum in Sarajevo.
Brandeis said it is difficult
to maintain the synagogues
and Jewish relics. "There are
over 200 Jewish cemeteries in
towns where no Jews live
anymore," he said.
Belgrade broke diplomatic
relations with Israel in 1967
during the Six-Day War. But
today, at least one travel
agency in the northern city of
Ljubljana arranges package
tours to Israel, according to
Milica Mihailovic, curator of
the Belgrade Jewish
Museum.
"Many people travel to
Israel and write in our press
what they have seen," she
said. "There is a lot more
about Israel in our
newspapers."
Brandeis said many books
on Jewish topics are publish-
ed in Yugoslavia. They in-
clude an illustrated book of
Old Testament stories that re-
ly heavily on Jewish imagery.
"There is also a wide interest
in Yugoslavia in mysticism
and the Kabbalah," he said.
Finally, Brandeis mention-
ed several Jews prominent in
the mainstream Yugoslav
cultural scene, including
novelist Danilo Kis and
pianist Andrej Preger.
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