Being Jewish in Sarajevo

Written 9/28:

Happy New Year Everyone! L’Shanah Tovah!

First of all, I have to confess that I have failed to find members of the Jewish community in Sarajevo before the high holidays.  I had hoped to visit the Old Synagogue and the Jewish Museum by now, but I haven’t yet figured out exactly where they are. (Yeah, excuses, excuses, but I’ve been quite overwhelmed and busy adapting to my life here.)  However, I know they are in the “centar”.  I’m sure I’ll discover them one day when I walk by.  It’s very difficult for me to find things via map here.  First of all, a lot of the streets are not labeled.  And Google Maps, as helpful as it is in the US doesn’t seem to have much about Bosnia.

I have a small story to tell, as a preface to the rest of this blog entry.  When I was a little girl, I remember the day, in my parents’ bedroom in our old house on Glencoe Street, when I asked my mom what the word “minority” meant.  She explained the words “minority” and “majority” to me.  I replied, “oh, so Jewish people are the majority and Christians are the minority.”  You see, because I went to Jewish elementary school, almost everyone I knew was Jewish.  So my mom had to explain that even though I knew mostly Jewish people, there are actually very few Jews in the world, compared to Christians and people of other religions. Hmmm.

Since I’ve left Herzl, I think that most of the people I’ve met are not Jewish.  However, living in urban areas within the US, I still encounter many Jews, and usually have friends to celebrate the holidays with.

Tonight, I had a bunch of friends from my building over for apples, honey, and, of course, some drinks.  It was interesting to hear from my European friends that they did not know many, or any, Jewish people from their home countries.  I totally felt like a “minority” tonight!  I know that there are very few Jewish people in Sarajevo (according to my guidebook, less than 700), and even fewer in the rest of Bosnia and throughout the Balkan region.  But I also know that at one time, there were so many Jews living in Europe, especially Eastern Europe. It struck me how much anti-semitism, and especially the Holocaust, affected the Jewish population here.  However, I also wonder if the Jewish community is more isolated in Europe.  I know that there are very observant Jews in Chicago who mostly socialize within their own community, but they certainly aren’t isolated.  I see Orthodox Jews all of the time, out walking in the park, at the grocery store, etc.  Maybe the Jewish community here is more inconspicuous.

10/3/11 Update:

Today I found the Sarajevo Jewish Museum.  The courtyard was open, but it was completely empty, and the building was locked and abandoned L   I guess I’ll try again later.