Jews in Novi Kneževac

Istorija Jevreja u Vojvodini nije dovoljno zabeležena, posebno njihova istorija u jugoslovenskom delu okruga Banat. Nema pouzdanih podataka da li je neko od Jevreje živeo u Banatu pre dolaska i tokom turske vladavine. Prve pouzdane činjenice odnose se na pojedinačne dolaske i stalna prebivališta tokom vladavine Austrije, u drugoj i trećoj dekadi XVIII veka, i o nešto većim grupama od sredine XIX veka. Pre početka Drugog svetskog rata u Banatu je živelo oko 6.000 Jevreja. Prema arheološkim istraživanjima, Novi Kneževac bio je naseljen još pre hrišćanske ere. Prvi pouzdani podatak o životu Jevreja u Novom Kneževcu (tačnije, u Obilićevu, kasnije Josipovu, sada delu Novog Kneževca) je iz 1825. Groblje je osnovano u drugoj polovini XIX veka, tako da je predstavljalo očigledan dokaz stalne jevrejske zajednice: najstariji grob datiran je iz 1872. godine. Poslednji Jevrej sahranjen je 1962. godine: to je bio Eugen Gergelj, dr. med., radiolog, rođen 1890. godine, sin hazana Izraela Gelbmana; međutim, doktor Gergelj napustio je Novi Kneževac pre Drugog svetskog rata. Hram je građen 1910-1911, ali arhitekta i finansijeri nisu poznati. Srušen je nakon Drugog svetskog rata, a mesto nije obeleženo. Banat je bio prvi administrativni entitet pod nacističkom vladavinom u Evropi koji je bio Judenrein („očišćen od Jevreja”), a domaće nemačko stanovništvo je zbog tog preimućstva bilo veoma ponosno na "slavu" Banata. Svi Jevreji, osim žena udatih za hrišćane, deportovani su 14. avgusta 1941., samo četiri meseca nakon okupacije Srbije. Muškarci su ubijeni tokom naredna dva meseca, zajedno sa drugim Jevrejima iz Srbije; žene, osim ako su umrle od hladnoće, bolesti i mučenja tokom zime 1941/2 u logoru "Sajmište", ubijene su u „dušegupki” tokom iste zime. Likvidacija je bila toliko temeljna pa je korišćena na Vanzejskoj konferenciji kao argument da je potpuno istrebljenje Jevreja na jednoj teritoriji moguće i da se može učiniti. Koliko je moguće rekonstruisati, na početku Drugog svetskog rata u Jugoslaviji u Novom Kneževcu živelo je 78 Jevreja (uključujući Jevrejke udate za hrišćane). Deset je preživelo rat bežeći u Mađarsku ili se sakrilo, a tri preživele žene bile su udate za hrišćane. Danas u Novom Kneževcu ne žive Jevreji.The history of Jews in Vojvodina is insufficiently recorded, particularly their history in the Yugoslav part of Banat district. There are no reliable data on whether any Jews lived in Banat before Turkish arrival and during their rule. The first dependable facts are about individual arrivals and permanent residences during Austrian rule, in the second and third decade of the XVIII century, and about somewhat larger groups since the middle of the XIX century. Before the beginning of World War Two in Banat lived about 6.000 Jews. According to the archaeological explorations, Novi Kneževac was inhabited before the Christian era. The first reliable datum about a Jew living in Novi Kneževac (to be more exact, in Obilićevo, later Josipovo, which has by now became part of Novi Kneževac) is from 1825. The cemetery was established in the second half of the XIX century, so it presents an evident proof of a permanent Jewish community: the oldest grave is dated 1872. The last Jew was buried in 1962: this was Eugen Gergelj, M.D., radiologist, born 1890, son of the hazzan Izrael Gelbman; however, doctor Gergelj left Novi Kneževac before WWII. The temple was built in 1910-911, but the architect and the financiers are unknown. It was demolished after WW II and the site is not marked. Banat was the first administrative entity under Nazi rule in Europe that was Judenrein, and the local German population was very proud of Banat’s "glory" because of that primacy. All the Jews except women married to Christians were deported on August 14, 1941, just four months after the occupation of Serbia. Men were killed during the next two months together with other Jewish men from Serbia; the women, unless they had died from exposure, illness, and torture during winter 1941/2 in camp "Sajmište", were murdered in gas vans during the same winter. Liquidation was so thorough that it was pointed out on the Wannsee Conference in favor of the argument that the complete extermination of the Jews on one territory is possible and can be done. As far as could be reconstructed, at the start of WW II in Yugoslavia in Novi Kneževac lived 78 Jews (including the Jewish women married to Christians). Ten had survived the war by escaping to Hungary or in hiding, and the three of these survivors were women married to Christians. Today there are no Jews living in Novi Kneževac.Str. 159: Popis Jevreja Novog Kneževca (na osnovu sećanja i razgovora)