OSIJEK JEWISH COMMUNITY CELEBRATES 150TH ANNIVERSARY

OSIJEK, Sept 22 (Hina) - The Jewish community in Osijek celebrated its 150th anniversary on Wednesday. On that occasion, the reconstructed offices of the Jewish community in Osijek have been opened, with a plaque at the entrance of the building presenting data on the history of the Jewish community. Greeting his guests, the community's president Darko Fischer said Osijek Jews wanted their actions of today to leave on the city a permanent mark of once a large and respected Jewish community, which at the beginning of this century made more than eight per cent of the city's population. "Despite the consequences of the Holocaust, the Jewish mentality and identity are being maintained in Osijek", said the coordinator of Jewish communities, Ognjen Kraus. Letters of congratulation were sent to the Osijek Jewish community by Jewish organisations from the United States, Switzerland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the president of women's Jewish organisations, June Jacobs, and by the Croatian Rabi Kotel Dado. Osijek Mayor Zlatko Kramaric said at the ceremony he was "proud of what the Jewish community has given to the city over the past 150 years on the economic, cultural, and political planes". (hina) jn rml