Jewish school in Croatia's capital fosters tolerance
Jewish and non-Jewish children learn respect and tolerance side by side at the Hugo Kon Elementary School in Zagreb.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Then there is, of course, nationality, which is favoured by everyone.
00:04From which country?
00:05Yes, from which country.
00:30His two children attend this Jewish elementary school.
00:34I described the two children in the school because I heard a lot of good stories,
00:41and I also knew from that context that the school is dedicated to inclusiveness,
00:48multiculturalism and tolerance,
00:52and that the state program draws much more individual attention to the issue of mutual respect.
01:22We have 110 children, 110 students,
01:25of which about 35% are children from Jewish communities, Zagreb communities,
01:31and the rest are children, parents, who are...
01:35In fact, we don't even ask about nationality, I can't even say, it's not important to us.
01:52The atmosphere is light, the children don't feel any pressure,
01:57like in a big school, where there are 30 of you, and you get to be quiet, work and write.
02:02Here it's a bit different.
02:04We can all talk, exchange ideas.
02:11We have a lot of children.
02:13We have a lot of children.
02:15We have a lot of children.
02:18We have a lot of children.
02:24Sanja Petrušić-Golštejn is not Jewish,
02:26but she and her Jewish husband, Ivo Golštejn, are raising their children in the Jewish tradition.
02:33We simply value the dual identity, the Croatian and the Jewish one.
02:37My husband is of Jewish origin and I am not,
02:40but we think that both are very important.
02:43That's how we raised our daughter,
02:45and we didn't want to, nor did we decide on the option
02:48to neglect one of those cultures and traditions in exchange for the other.
03:04Antisemitism exists in Croatia.
03:07It is traditional.
03:09It comes from traditional concepts, images, prejudices,
03:14partly from religious, partly from economic motives.
03:22Another additional motive,
03:24the pool from which this antisemitism manifests itself,
03:28is the war between Israel and Hamas,
03:31which has been going on for several months now.
03:36In the media presentations of that conflict,
03:40there are a number of antisemitic theses.
03:45Petrušić-Golštejn wants to fight such prejudice
03:48before it leaves an impression on the children.
03:51She wants them to grow up together,
03:53learning the values of an open society.
03:57To be tolerant towards her,
03:59as well as towards all other cultures or minority communities.
04:04Building bridges and sharing a living diversity with the world,
04:08that's what it's all about for the Hugo Kahn Elementary School in Zagreb.