Serbia: How the restoration of the Jewish cemetery became a reminder of Novi Pazar's Jewish past
For decades, the Jewish cemetery in the Serbian city of Novi Pazar was overgrown and abandoned. Before World War II, the city was home to a vibrant Jewish community, which was decimated during the Holocaust. In the years that followed, Novi Pazar's Jewish history was largely forgotten. Now, a private initiative is restoring the cemetery and reviving memories of the city's Jewish community.
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00:00This cemetery is all that is left of 300 years of Jewish life in Novi Pazar.
00:06It took the Nazis just a few days to deport the city's entire Jewish population of 221 people in 1942.
00:14Few returned from Hitler's death camps, and after the war the cemetery became overgrown and forgotten.
00:21Fahruddin Kladnichenin wanted to change all that.
00:25He founded a non-governmental organization which set about restoring the cemetery.
00:30Once a year, there are historical lectures on site, and a memorial service for those who died in the Holocaust.
00:55The Jews lived here until 1942.
01:25The first documentary mention of Jews in Novi Pazar was in 1776,
01:30although it can be assumed that there were Jews in the city well before that.
01:34Novi Pazar is also known for its old bazaar, where there are a number of jewelers.
01:40Recep Shkrielje is a professor of history and a keen goldsmith,
01:45a skill he taught himself in order to keep the memory of the city's Jewish community alive.
01:55They were brought here from Kosovo and taken to the Belgrade Cemetery.
02:03That's where most of them tragically died.
02:08Fahruddin Kladnichenin travelled to Belgrade to meet Mento Mentović.
02:13Mentović is a member of the Jewish community.
02:16He was born and raised in Novi Pazar, but has been living in the Serbian capital since his student years.
02:23He is one of the co-authors of a book about the Jews of Novi Pazar.
02:28His father was among the few to return from Hitler's concentration camps.
02:33The restoration of the cemetery means a lot to him.
02:37The grave that exists now, which is being renovated, is not finished yet.
02:42It will not be an active grave.
02:46Nobody will be buried in it anymore.
02:49It will be a monument of culture.
02:52It will fit in a completely different way in the middle of Novi Pazar.
02:59We are very satisfied.
03:03In a way, we got some satisfaction in the sense that it has remained a permanent memory.
03:13There are very few traces left of the Jewish community of Novi Pazar.
03:18Nevertheless, remembering the victims is still very important.
03:22Especially for the future of a city that has remained culturally diverse despite years of war and ethnic divide.
03:29We are talking about and building a future based on the foundations where we should respect each other
03:38and where we should prevent all forms of hatred that can now explode in multi-ethnic communities such as Novi Pazar.
03:49Hatred, anti-Semitism or any form of disregard for each other in this city is not desirable.
04:08Learn about the Jewish community that once lived here and contributed to the colourful and peaceful diversity of Novi Pazar.