Jews in Baranya during second World War
The Jewish destiny in Darda, Baranja, Croatia was the same as the destiny of European Jews in countries that were under the influence of Germany or occupied by it. As early as the mid-1930s, growing anti-Semitism was felt. In the late 1940s, a "Decree on Measures Relating to Jews in the Conduct of Operations with Human Food" was passed, prohibiting Jewish shopkeepers and food wholesalers. The "Decree on the enrollment of persons of Jewish origin for students of universities, colleges, high schools, teachers and other vocational schools" was passed, which restricts the enrollment of Jews in those schools. Germany invaded Yugoslavia on April 6, 1941, and on April 10, 1941. the Independent State of Croatia was founded. The NDH lost Baranja, which was occupied by the Hungarians.
All Hungarian laws come into force and all regulations were extended to Baranya. On October 10, 1941, the Minister of Justice issued an order enacting the marriage law. [1] Mixed marriages of Jews and Christians were abolished. Until the resignation of the government of Bardossy Laszlo on March 8, 1942, Jews were arrested, abused and persecuted. Synagogues, Jewish cultural institutions, and even Jewish cemeteries were systematically destroyed. The government of Kallay Miklos has tightened legal regulations regarding Jews. On September 19, 1942, the Hungarian Ministry of the Army issued an order stipulating that Jews could not be members of regular military units, but were called into the system of auxiliary units of the Hungarian army. By order of November 20, 1942, the Jews were expelled from the regular Hungarian army.
Despite this, they were mobilized to do forced labor even on the eastern battlefield. Many were sent to military camps in various places to build airports and other military facilities. The legal treatment of Jews for Kallay's governments was much more lenient than that carried out by Ante Pavelić in the NDH. A large number of Jews fled the NDH to Hungary or Italy.
[1] Skupina autora . „Dva stoljeća povijesti i kulture Židova u Zagrebu i Hrvtaskoj, Zagreb, 1998, str 56
After the German occupation of Hungary on March 19 1944, the government was formed by the Stojay Dom with supporters and members of the pro-German and pro-fascist party "Reconstruction". The position of the Jews was deteriorating day by day. Mass arrests and exterminations of Jews were carried out. Since then, a mass deportation of all Jews from Hungary to the Auschwitz camp has taken place.
Thanks to the information sent to us by Davorin Taslidžić, we learned that a concentration camp was formed in Darda in 1944 and that the following Jews were captured and taken to Auschwitz:
Aranka Berger, a housewife about 60 years of age - brought to the Darda concentration camp on April 26, 1944, sent to Auschwitz on May 28
Ljudevit Begrer, a lawyer around the age of 67 - the same
Abrahan Kesller, a child about 4 years old - brought to the Darda concentration camp on April 26, 1944, sent to Auschwitz on May 28
Jolanda Kesller, a housewife, about 65 years old - the same
Ilonka Kesller, a housewife, about 70 years old - the same
Lazar Kesller, a teacher, about 70 years old - the same
Nela Wertheim, a housewife, about 38 years old - the same
The Janketovics family perished earlier in 1942 in the Banjica concentration camp in Serbia.
Adolf Janketovics, a merchant about 30 years old - died in Banjica on November 19, 1942.
Ida Janeketovica, child, about 4 years old - the same
Lela Janeketovics, housewife, about 24 years old - the same
A selection was made in Auschwitz. Few able-bodied men between the ages of 15 and 45 on one side, and women with children, pregnant women, women, men over the age of 50 were sent straight to the gas chamber directly from the train station.
On October 15, 1944, Regent Miklos Horty announced the capitulation of Hungary to the Allies. This provoked a coup by Ferenc Szalasi and his Arrow Cross Party. The adoption of new anti-Jewish regulations continued, on the basis of which the remaining non-Aryans were arrested and taken to concentration camps. [1]
[1] Skupina autora, nav.djelo. str. 80.
2] Ivo Goldstain, nav.djelo, str 96
According to some estimates, 6,800 to 7,700 Jews from the NDH area lost their lives in German and other foreign camps, and about 19,000 in camps in Croatia, of which about 6,000 were Jews from Croatia and 7,000 from B&H. It is estimated that about 8,000 Jews from Yugoslavia managed to escape before or during the war. S. Goldstein states that in the area of present-day Croatia in 1940 there were 25,000 Jews, of whom 5,500 survived the war. According to the same author, 1,737 Jews took part in the anti-fascist resistance, of whom 325 died in the fighting. [2] A dozen Jewish families remained in the Baranya area and others found their new home in Israel.