49SPRING 2009

www.benevolencija.eu.org/salon

BULLETIN OF JEWISH SOCIETY“THE FRIENDS OF LA BENEVOLENCIJA”

BILTEN JEVREJSKE ZAJEDNICE“PRIJATELJI LA BENEVOLENCIJE”

IZME\UDVA BROJA

THE BULLETIN IS SPONSORED BY JEWISH CARE

Ono {to ne volim ovdje, je to{to se kalendarski zove zima.Jer, nit’ je jesen, nit’ je zima. Toje neki prelaz iz jeseni u zimu,gadnije od jeseni, ki{a, vjetar,(sunce sam i zaboravio kakoizgleda), a od one prave

snje`ne zime sa minusima -ni{ta…Ponekad nas malo isnijeg “prepadne”, kao ovogaputa- i to je sve.Kao {to sve zamre u to doba,tako je nekako zamro i ovaj na{SaLon. Izgleda da na{ svijetnije ba{ pri peru u ovo vrijeme.Valjda }e im se “pripisat” kadprolje}e razgrana li{}e i pustipupoljke; bi}e tada, nadajmo,se vi{e inspiracije.Na svjetskoj sceni pojavio semladi energi~ni, a mora sepriznati i zgodni Obama; emcrnac, em Hussein (po ocuHusseinu), em novi PresidentOf The United States OfAmerica. Nek’ mu je (i nama),{to bi na{ narod rekao, “bog napomo}i- samo da rata nebude…”Imao sam ludu sre}u dapojeftino (ina~e bi neko platioi zlatom da je mogao do}i do

karte) pogledam i poslu{amprestavu Oliver, dakako onajDickensov, Twist, u mjuziklverziji. Moja skromna vje{tina

kao spisatelja mi neomogu}ava daupotrijebim u svimm o g u } i msuperlativima scenu,muziku, pjesmu, aiznad svega nedosti`nuperformansu glumca ikomi~ara Rowan-aAtkinsona (mo`da vi{epoznat kao Mr Bean) uulozi Fagina,d`eparo{a nad svimd`eparo{ima. Jedno

nezaboravno provedeno ve~e.U Londonu se okupila svamogu}a svjetska bogataskalamerija, poznata podimenom G20. Protivnicikapitalizma (ali meni sada, daiskreno ka`em, vi{e nije jasno-pobornici ~ega), okupili su seda im uka`u svesrdnunedobrodo{licu. Bilo jerazbijenih izloga, noseva,glava, stakala pobankama…Neki su zaglavili ufijoci, neki u hitnoj…Avaj,jedan je smrtno stradao.Nevjerovatno, u srcu Londre,zastava biv{e Juge. Jeste lividjeli tu sliku? Ipak nek’ je svepro{lo, …Na “doma}oj sceni”, nije danismo bili aktivni, ali bi mogloi vi{e. Ne ka`em i bolje, jer ono{to smo gledali, slu{ali, a naneki na~in i do`ivljavali, imnogo organizovaniji skupovi

bi nam mogli pozavidjeti.Tematske muzi~ke ve~eri podnaslovom “Muzika kojuvolim”, pokazala se vrlou~inkovita. Vjerujem damnogi od nas ili nemaju voljeili nemaju vremena da u “svomaran`manu” prilegnu iposlu{aju kompozicije jednogGlena Milera, a i vi{e saznajuo njemu. Ljubomir Ajvazovi}-]iro donio je plo~e i zamislite- dobri, stari gramofon…izkojeg su izlazili Milerovimilozvuci, primjerice “BigBands”, ' 'Moonlight Ser-enade”, ''Chattanooga ChooChoo”…i da ne duljim…,potom Zoran Molinar donosinam stare majstore od Bacha,Wagnera, Mozarta, Bethowenaitd, itd,…Sve besmrtna muzika.A onda Tiho donosi svojeljubimce; “Shadows”-e; biloje i plesa.A onda opet Sveto Ga}inovi}sa svojim putopisima ovogaputa po nevjerovatnoj Indiji.Kako on to samo radi… Menije osobno u{tediovrijeme i novac; nemoram i}i tamo davidim i do`ivim svata ~udesa. Ve} smoga dosta hvalili, pane}emo vi{e, da sene uobrazi…Al’ davalja, valja…Imali smo potompriliku da vidimo ida se podsjetimo naljepote na{e namdomovine; planineod Triglava do (ne mogu re}ijo{ Gevgelije, ali bi}e…);Bjela{nica, Trebevi}, Velebit,Jahorina, Triglav, JulijskeAlpe, Hercegova~ke vrleti,Vrhnika, Pokljuka, Grintavec,Samoborsko Gorje,

Medvednica, KapelskiKresovi; samo kozje noge inoge Veska Veskovi}a isupruge mu Minke, doajenana{ih planina, mogle su po timvrletima da se veru, bilo zimiili ljeti i da naprave prekrasnesnimke koje su namprezentirali. Ka`u, bi}e jo{ izSrbije, Makedonije, pa iostatka Evrope.Purim je bio. I ovoga puta, ve}tradicionalno birala senajbolja maska. Pobjednik nijebitan, dobio/la je svojunagradu, ali je bitno da odavnonisam video toliko mladognara{taja od na{e fele. Bilo ihje lijepo i ugodno promatrati,kako se igraju, ska~u, vesele, asve to tek toliko da se ponekadu `ivotu prisjete svojihkorijena.I Pesah je pro{ao. Ovoga putaproslava nije organizovana una{em klubu. Mnogi na{i su seotisnuli malo odsvakodnevnice, ali su svi isvako na svoj na~in obilje`ili

ovaj jevrejski festival..Evo i jedan mu{tuluk: ^ajinsin dobio sina. Ime mu je

Nastavak na drugoj strani

The season I do not like here isthe one referred to in the calen-dar as winter. It is neither au-tumn nor winter. It is sort of atransition from autumn to win-ter, nastier than autumn, rain,wind (I have forgotten how thesun looks like), not even atrace of the real snowy winterwith minuses. …Truly, it hap-pens sometimes, like this time,that the snow “gives us a scare”– and that’s all.In line with the standstill ofeverything at that time, thisSaLon of ours has also beenstagnating. It seems that peo-ple are not very eager to gethold of a pen. Hopefully theywill get the writing fever whenspring manages to draw out theleaves and the buds out of theplants, bringing the inspirationwith it.A new personality has emergedon the world scene. He is ener-getic and one has to admithandsome young Obama. Notonly that he is black, but he isHussein (after his fatherHussein) as well, and also thenew President of the UnitedStates of America. Let “Godhelp both him and us” - onlylet there be no war.As good luck has struck me togo cheaply (some would payin gold to get hold of a ticket) Iwas able to see and hear Oliver,yes that by Dickens, Twist – themusical version one. My mod-est skills as a story teller pre-vent me of using all the super-latives there are to describe thescene, the music, the songs andabove all the unsurpassableperformance of the actor andthe comedian Rowan Atkinson(probably better known as MrBean) in the role of Fagin, thepickpocket of all pickpockets.It was an unforgettableevening.There was a gathering of theentire world’s richhodgepodge, otherwise knownas G20. The opponents to capi-talism (to be honest, it is notclear to me any more what dothey stand for) have gatheredto extend their all-hearted un-welcome to them. Shop win-dows, noses, heads, glass onbanks – all were broken. Someended up in jail, some in theemergency units. Alas, one hasdied. An unbelievable thing –the flag of the former Yugosla-via in the heart of London.Have you seen the image? I amglad all is over. ..When talking of “our homescene” it is hard to say that wewere not active, but more couldhave been done. Not better,because the things we have

seen, heard and experienced ina way could cause envy amongmany better organized commu-nities. The traditional musicevenings that go under the ti-tle of “The Music I Like”proved to be very attractive. Ibelieve that not many amongus have the time or the aspira-tion to get down to the musicof somebody like Glen Millerand learn more about him.Ljubomir Ajvazovi} - ]irobrought discs and, just think ofit, a good old gramophone thattook us to the beautiful soundsof “Big Bands”, “MoonlightSerenade”, “ChattanoogaChoo Choo” and to our joymany more. Zoran Molinarbrought with him the old mas-ters: Bach, Wagner, Mozart,Beethoven etc. All of it wasimmortal music. Tiho bringshis favourites: “The Shadows”.There were some dancing to itAnd then Sveto Ga}inovi}again with his travels. This timeit has been the amazing India.Just how does he do it … ? Hesaved my money and time; I donot have to go there and expe-rience all these wonders. Wehave been praising him alreadybefore therefore no more trib-utes because he might givehimself airs …But it is the verytruth that he is good.We also had a chance to see andremind ourselves of the beau-ties of our motherland. Themountains from Triglav (it istoo early to say to Gevgelija,but they will be mentionedlater): Bjela{nica, Trebevi},Velebit, Jahorina, Triglav,Julian Alps, Herzegovina crags,Vrhnika, Pokljuka, Grintavec,Samoborsko Gorje,Medvednica, KapelskiKresovi; only legs like thoseof Vesko Veskovi} and his wifeMinka, doyens of our moun-tains, could climb those crags,be it summer or winter, makingall along the beautiful picturesthat we were shown. There willbe more, they say, from Serbia,Macedonia and the rest of Eu-ropeAs is the tradition for Purim thebest fancy dress was chosen.The winner is not important, he/she had the prize, but it is im-portant that for a long time Ihave not seen so many young-sters of our variety. It was pleas-ant to watch them playing,skipping and enjoying them-selves; and it is worth becausethey should remember theirroots once in a while.Pesach is also over. This yearwe have not organized a com-munal Seder in our club. Manyhave been away, but all cel-

ebrated this festivalin their own way.And now a piece of good news.^aja’s son has a son. His nameis Benjamin. Congratulationsto the proud grandfather.Our first annual outing tookplace recently. These outingsare the biggest attraction to ourmembers. We visitedHatchlands Park. Although theforecast was not promising weenjoyed good weather. Follow-ing the routine we haveadopted for our outings westarted the day by appreciatingthe beauties of our new home-land and some of its history. Webrought the day to the end inGuilford, London’s South-West neighbour. Not to breakthe tradition we refreshed our-selves with beer, but as theavailable time was short wewent to the first pub we found.What could we do – culture isabove all.Football. The end of UK cham-pionship brought the title toManchester United. LeagueOne of The European Champi-onship is nearing the end. Thefootball giants clash. Theydrive crazy those of us whoconsider that football is themost important of all unimpor-tant things in the world. It wasa pleasure to watch the footballwizards from Barcelona per-forming marvels all throughEurope. I had a chance to watchthe collision of the two giants– Arsenal and Chelsea - at theWembley Stadium. The gameand the atmosphere; what tosay about that. I rememberwhen in my childhood I wascollecting pictures for the al-bum : “Sport through Ages”.One of the pictures was theview of Wembley Stadium, thatold one from the last century.How could I even think thatone day I would be sitting onthe seats of the new one.The news from Mexico: an out-break of swine flu. Never heardof it. They say that it kills peo-ple and that it has already ar-rived in Britain. In all publicplaces, especially in toilets, inLondon and beyond posters areturning up not only warningthat it is necessary to washhands but also explaining howto do it. …It is the governmentwho tells the people to do it,and it is only when a dangersimilar to this emerges. It mightnot be nice to say it, but itseems that this nation shouldnot be very proud of its hygieneand cleanliness; surely not atthe level we acquired from ourparents.That’s it.Dragan Ungar

Benjamin. Na{e ~estitkeponosnom dedi.Evo i prvog ovogodi{njegizleta. To je {to najvi{e privla~inarod. Posjetili smoHatchlands Park, iako jeprognoza bila prijete}a, pratilonas je lijepo vrijeme. Kao i prisvakom izletu, tako i sadavidjeli smo sve ljepote na{enam nove domovine, i dionjene bogate istorije. Dan smozavr{ili u Guildfordu, jugo-zapadnom kom{iji Londona, ida se ne prekine tradicija,rashladili se pivom, ali zbogkratko}e vremena koje nam jepreostalo, to smo uradili uprvom pabu na koji smo nai{li.[ta se tu mo`e; kultura prijesvega.Fudbal. Kraj engleskogprvenstva donio je titulu Man-chester United-u. I Ligaevrospskih {ampiona je prikraju. Fudbalski divovi sesudaraju zaludjuju nas kojismatramo fudbal “najva`nijomsporednom stvari na svijetu”.U`ivanje je bilo gledatifudbalske ma|ioni~are izBarcelone, kako ~uda ~ine poEvropi. Osobno imao sampriliku pogledati na Wemblijuu`ivo sudar dvaju delijaArsenala i Chelsija. Utakmicai ambijent, {to re}i o tome.Sje}am se kao dje~ak kada samskupljao sli~ice za album zvani“Sport kroz vijekove”. Jednaod sli~ica bila je panoramaWembley-a, onog starog izpro{log stolje}a. Kako sam tadamogao pomisliti da }e jednogadana vrijediti ona na{a uzre~ica“[ta gled’o, ~it’o, i skuplj’osli~ice…?!... Hod’o!”.Iz Meksika do{la vijest:Pojavila se svinjska gripa.Nikad ~uo. Ka`u da ubija ljudei da je ve} ima i u Britaniji. Posvim javnim mjestima poLondonu i {ire, pojavljuju se ujavnim prostorijama, aposebice u WC-ima plakati dane samo da treba prati ruke,nego i zorno pokazuju kako toraditi. Za nas ~udno, jer manjevi{e svima nama su mame i tatejo{ dok smo bili mala djecagovorile kako i kada to trebaraditi…Ovdje vlada to govorinarodu i to samo u prilikamakada iskrsne kakva opasnostkao ova gripa na primjer.Mo`da nije lijepo re}i, ali ~inise da ova nacija nema ba{ nekukulturu {to se higijene i ~isto}eti~e; barem ne na nivou nakakvom smo mi poprimili odna{ih roditelja.Eto.Dragan Ungar

Nastavak sa prve strane

U vrijeme kada sam se ja rodio,moja majka je studiralafilozofiju i francuski jezik.Nikada ne}u znati da li sam jabio planiran ili se `ivot usvojoj spontanosti nasmije{iomojim zaljubljenimroditeljima i donio im sina uvrijeme kad jo{ nisu imalirije{eno stambeno pitanje injihove karijere nisu krenulesigurnim tokom. No danas,poznavaju}i moju majku~etrdeset i sedam godina, nanjen sedamdeseti ro|endan, jagotovo sa sigurno{}u mogu daka`em da je spontanost vrlinakoju je ona njegovala krozcijeli svoj `ivot. Iskrena,nasmijana i istinoljubiva, mojamama Ina se nije libila da u`ivotu ~ini korake koje suprekora~ivali smjerniceracionalno planiranog `ivota,slijede}i impulse, `ivjela je`ivot otvorenog srca, spontanoi iskreno. Tako sam, vjerujem,i ja do{ao na svijet kao mezimacdiplomanta Filozofskogfakulteta, da bi dvadeset i petgodina kasnije postao jedan oddiplomaca sa te katedre. Mojotac Albert, `ivotni partnermoje majke, trudio se kolikoje mogao da ubaci zrnoracionalnosti u na{ porodi~ni`ivot, kojem je uvijeknedostajao dobar ra~unovo|a,ali u su{tini, mamina «ljubavprema `ivotu» i vjera u `ivotkao u rijeku «ljubavi» u kojojse na kraju sve nekako dobrozavr{i i stigne do `ivotnogcilja, uklapala se i u tatinkoncept `ivota u kojem su kaoodgovoran i nesebi~an parpodigli troje djece – svi saunivezitetskim diplomama,starali se o djeci rano prminulemamine sestre Perle, pomagalivlastite roditelje u starosti ibolesti – i kona~no, hiljadamakilometara daleko od mjestagdje su ro|eni i gdje su `ivjelinajve}i dio svog ̀ ivota, uspjeliod svojeg skromnog domanapraviti ognji{te ljubavi nakojem se mogu ogrijati njihoviunuci, djeca i novoste~eniprijatelji.

Moja mama je kao djevo~icaod nepune tri godinezakora~ila u neizvjesnost unaramku svoje majke i bakebje`e}i pred Nacistima.Posljednje godine Drugog

svjetskog rata, pre`ivljavala jeu zbjegu, pridru`enapartizanskom odredu uatmosferi izgradnje novog ipravednijeg svijeta. Mislim daje u tom ranom dobu njenog`ivota formirana li~nost koja jeu mnogome odredila njen`ivot i akademsku karijeru.Moja majka je napisaladoktorsku disertaciju izfilozofije, interpretiraju}i“Pojam slobode” u filozofiji@an Pol Sartra. Ne ulaze}i uanalizu te disertacije napisanena papiru koji je bio nerijetko

ukra{en kapljicama maj~inogmlijeka – jer je moja najmla|asestra Mirjam ro|ena u vrijemepisanja tog teksta – ja mislimda je «sloboda» najve}i imatekkoji je moja majka ikada stekla.Zahvaljuju}i tom kapitaluslobode koji je prigrabila u timformiraju}im godinamaneposredno nakon rata, moja jemajka djelovala kroz cijeli svoj`ivot odgovaraju}i izazovima`ivota, prema impulsu valstitesavjesti, vo|ena osje}ajempravde i energijom ljubavi, bezkalkulacija, bez straha odposljedica, ona je djelovalaslobodno, onako kako jesituacija po njenoj procjeninalagala u trenutku kad jeodlu~ivala da preduzme nekuakciju. A akcije moje majkebile su zami{ljene i jo{ uvijekjesu, kao akcije bespo{tednogdavanja. Dati sebe, odre}i sekomocije da bi se u zna~ajnomtrenutku ne~ijeg `ivotapodijelila ljubav i ono {to seima od materijalnih dobara –bio je i ostao na~in da se `ivot“dovede u red”. “Dovesti u red”- ovde ne treba shvatiti kao

racionalizaciju stvarnosti,radije kao balansiranje urazmjeni emocija. Okupitiljude i podariti ih ljubavlju ipa`njom je mamin metod uure|ivanju `ivota. Tako suporodi~na slavlja i krize,bolesti i ro|enja – momenti ukojima je moja majka mar{iralanaoru`ana ljubavlju kaosigurnim sretstvom zadovo|enja `ivota u red. Ono{to se nekada u Sarajevubrojalo koracima i brojemtramvajskih stanica, danas se –kada `ivimo «preko svijeta»broji hiljadama kilometara ibrojem aerodroma na kojimatreba presjedati da bi se misija

ostvarila, ali mama I na ostajeista. Njen kredo da budeslobodna da u~ini ne{to {to }epo njenom mi{ljenju popravitiovaj svijet i pomo}i njenimnajbli`im, ostao je va`e}ikredo njenog `ivota od kadaje poznajem do dana{njeg danakada slavimo njen sedamdesetirodjendan.

Ovaj broj godina nikako nepristaje mojoj majci i mada jeona baka sa sedmoro unu~adimama Ina je bila i ostalamladog duha. Biti slobodan nana~in na koji je to moja majkauspjela da bude kroz cijeli svoj`ivot, koji je bio nepredvidiv i~esto veoma te`ak i tragi~an,zna~ilo je ostati dijete injegovati spontanost te

djetinje slike svijeta ukojoj su ideali nepatvoreni io~uvani, makar bili i nerealni.Ideali i realnost su obi~nosuprotstavljeni jedno drugom.Tako je i moja majka ~esto bilasuprotstavljena realistima kojisu njene poduhvate gledali sasumnjivo{}u starijih iiskusnijih, mada su ti realistipo godinama bili dalekomla|i.

Ja sa ponosom i dozom zavistiposmatram moje roditelje kojisu svoju mladost provelizaljubljeni ne samo jedno udrugo, nego i u mogu}nostostvarenja jednog svijeta kojije proklamovao jednakost,pravdu i slobodu kao opipljivevrijednosti za koje se vrijediboriti i prema njima oblikovatisvoj vlastiti dom, ali i svijet ucjelini. Njihov svijet bio jeoblikovan prema onome {to jepotencijalno mogu}e, premaotvorenom horizontu koji sezario imenom slobode i biozagledan u daleke predjelebudu}nosti. Svijet potonjihgeneracija, uklju~uju}i i moju,bio je obojen drugim bojama.Me|u njima su prevalentni bilitonovi cinizma i spremnost dase prihvati diktat realnosti ukojem se pokornost njegujekao vrlina.Na dana{nji dan kada ste seokupili oko slavljenika koji jezakora~io u osmu decenijusvog `ivota, ja vas pozivam dau ovom trenutku pogledatemoju majku, {to ja na `alost nemogu u~initi, i prepoznate unjoj ispod tereta `ivota iote`alog tgijela, nasmijanudjevoj~icu spremnu na igru.Ako prihvatite igru i pribli`itese mami Ini, otvori}e se predvama jedan svijet u kojem seosje}ate slobodno poputdjeteta pred kojim jo{ ni jednavrata nisu zatvorena. I nemojtemisliti da ste naivni – taj svijetzaista postoji, dok god postojiIna!U zdravlje!!! Sretan ro|endanMair MusafijaTorontoFebruar 2009

U ^AST MAMINOG RO\ENDANA

At the time when I was born mymother was studying philoso-phy and French. I will neverknow whether my birth was aplanned one or the life in itsspontaneity smiled at my par-ents who were in love andbrought them a son at a timewhen they still did not solvetheir housing problem and theircareers did not take a safe path.But today, having known mymother for forty seven years, onher seventieth birthday I am al-most certain saying that spon-taneity is a virtue she cherishedall through her life. Frank, smil-ing and straightforward, mymum Ina did not avoid takingsteps in her life which went overthe dictates of rationallyplanned life, going along herimpulses, she has lived her lifewith open mind, spontaneouslyand honestly. I believe that itwas also the way how I saw thelight of the day as the pet of theundergraduate at the Faculty ofPhilosophy to become twentyfive years later one of the un-dergraduates at the same de-partment. My father Albert, mymother’s partner for life, tried ashard as he could to introduce agrain or rationality into our fam-ily life always lacking a goodaccountant, but all in all mum’s“love of life” and her belief thatlife is a river of “love” that some-how always ends well and thelife target is reached, fitted wellinto dad’s concept of life. A re-sponsible and generous couplethey have raised three children– all with university diplomas,took care of the children ofPerla, mom’s early deceased sis-ter, helped their own parentswhen they grew old and weak,and thousands of kilometres farfrom the place where they wereborn and where they lived mostof their lives, they eventuallyturned their modest home to ahearth of love giving warmth to

their grandchildren, childrenand new friends.

My mum was not even threewhen in the arms of her motherand grandmother she set offinto the uncertainty fleeing theNazis. She survived the finalyears of World War Two in arefuge joined to a Partisan de-tachment in an atmosphere ofcreation of a new more right-eous world. As it seems, herpersonality formed at that earlyage basically determined her lifeand her career. Her doctoral the-sis in philosophy was the inter-pretation of the “Concept ofFreedom” in the works of Jean-Paul Sartre. Not intending toanalyse that dissertation writ-ten on a paper not infrequentlydecorated by the drops of mymother’s milk – because myyoungest sister Miriam wasborn during the work on thattext – I think that “freedom” isthe biggest property my mother

ever gained. Thanks to thatcapital of freedom that sheseized during the formativeyears immediately after the war,in her reactions to life’s chal-lenges which ensued from theimpulses of her conscience,guided by the sense of rightand wrong and the energy oflove, without calculating or fear-ing the consequences, when re-sponding to a situation mymother proceeded freely in away she thought appropriatewhen deciding to take an action.The actions of my mother havebeen conceived as ones of anunreserved giving. Giving her-self, denying herself comfortsin order to share love and any

of the material things she hasin a significant moment of some-one’s life – has always been herapproach to bring life “into or-der”. Here, one should not un-derstand “bringing into order”as the way to rationalize realitybut more as balancing in theexchange of emotions. Gather-ing people and offering themlove and care is mum’s methodof bringing order to life. Thus,family celebrations and crises,illnesses and births – were mo-ments during which my mothermarched on armed with love asa safe instrument to bring lifeinto order. Once, back inSarajevo, to do something wasmeasured by the number ofsteps or tramway stops – todaywhen we live so far away thismeasure is thousands of kilo-metres and the number of air-ports to change in order to ac-complish a mission, but mumIna has remained the same. Her

credo to be free to do some-thing that will make this worldbetter and help her nearest oneshas remained unchanged fromthe day I came to know her tothis day when we celebrate herseventieth birthday.

This number of years does notbecome my mother at all. Al-though a grandmother to sevengreat-children, mum Ina has re-mained young at heart. To befree in the way my mother suc-ceeded to be all through herunpredictable and often veryhard and tragic life meant thatshe remained a child in her heartand cherished the spontaneityof the childhood image of theworld in which the ideals are

genuine and preserved even if“unreal”. Ideals and reality areoften in collision. Thus, mymother was often in collisionwith the realists who looked at

her undertakings with the dis-trust of those who are older andmore experienced, even thoughthey actually were younger thanshe.

I look with pride and a degreeof envy at my parents whoseyouth was marked not only bythe love they had for each otherbut also for the prospect of aworld proclaiming equality, jus-tice and freedom as tangiblevalues for which it is worth tofight and according to which tomodel their own home, and alsothe world as a whole. Theirworld was modelled in line withthe potentials looking into theopen horizon glowing with thename of freedom and lookinginto the distant expanses of op-portunities. The world of gen-erations to follow, includingmine, was painted with othercolours. Prevailing among themwere the shade of cynicism andreadiness to accept the dictateof reality in which submissive-ness is valued as a virtue.

Today when you have gatheredround the birthday girl whomoved into her eighth decade Iwould like to invite you to lookat my mother at this moment,and I am sorry I can not do thesame, and recognize under theburden of the years and herbody which became heavier thelittle girl ready to play. By ac-cepting the game and comingcloser to mum Ina a world willopen before you in which youwill feel free as a child in frontof whom no door had beenclosed yet. But do not think thatyou are naïve – this world actu-ally exists as long as Ina exists!

Cheers! Happy birthday!

Mair Musafija

Toronto, February 2009

CELEBRATING MUM,S BIRTHDAY

Uvijek me obuzme neki ~udanosje}aj sjete kad pomislim nasvog oca koji je tragi~noizgubio ̀ ivot u holokaustu kadsam imao tri godine. Samodvije, pravim ~udom sa~uvanefotografije daju mi mogu}nostda zamislim njegov fizi~kiizgled. I ni{ta vi{e. To saznanje,da se uop{te ne sje}am svogoca, godinama sam do`ivljavaokao jedan ogromannedostatak, kao da sam zakinut

za jedno iskustvo koje sadr`irelacija otac - sin. Ipak postojaoje jedan ~ovjek koji je mogao,da su okolnosti bile druga~ije,zauzeti mjesto mog oca. Onjemu `elim da pi{em, o momo~uhu Aronu. Opisati cijelijedan `ivot u kratkoj pri~i jeprili~no te{ko. To mogu bitisamo fragmenti iz `ivota, takore}i slike ili skice. ^injenica jeda ja i ne znam puno o njemujer smo `ivjeli u isto vrijemesamo oko 25 godina. A i mnogidetalji iz njegovog `ivotavremenom su izblijedili iz mogsje}anja i izbijaju na svjetlostdana kao kroz maglu.Aron se rodi jo{ udevetnaestom vijeku- 1896.godine u Vi{egradu i dobi imepo svom ocu koji je umroneposredno prije njegovogro|enja. ^udne likoincidencije, ve} na samompo~etku . Ni on nije upoznao ispoznao {ta to zna~i imati oca.Ni{ta ne znam o njegovomdjetinjstvu, mogu samopretpostaviti da je bilo te{ko,`ivjelo se siroma{no ioskudno. Kad se zamom~iostri~evi su ga poslali u Sarajevoda izu~i kroja~ki zanat.Upravokad je zavr{io zanat, kad jestasao za vojsku po~eo je Prvi

Svjetski rat. Pri~ao mi je o tomekako je vojevao kao vojnik Kund K monarhije na Karpatimaa zatim na italijanskom frontuna Pijavi, jednoj klanici poputone u Flandriji, blatnimrovovima,mrtvim i ranjenimvojnicima rasutim svuda poboji{tu. Bio je lak{e ranjen idospio u bolnicu. U bolnici jedo{ao do spoznaje da je li~nodao dovoljan doprinos op{tojljudskoj nesre}i i bes~a{}u.Odlu~io je da se vi{e ne vra}a

na front pa je svoju,ina~e banalnu ranu,stalno inficirao inije dao da zacijeli.U to je i rat zavr{en.

Razdobljenjegovog `ivotakoje neposrednoslijedi, nazva}u gaitalijanski period,za mene je potpunan e p o z n a n i c a .Najljep{ih dvadesetgodina svoga`ivota, po vlastitom

priznanju, Aron je proveo uTrstu. Da li se po zavr{etku ratavra}ao u Bosnu ili je naprostoostao u Italiji nije mi poznato.Znam da je radio kao kroja~, ida je tamo savladao kroja~koumije}e po ~emu su Italijanipoznati u svijetu. Ne bezponosa, govori}e kasnije kakoje u Trstu pravio odijela zaodli~nike i sam krem dru{tva.Da je odli~an majstor mogaosam se uvjeriti posmatraju}iga kako crta bijelomkroja~kom kredom i krojimaterijal bez pomo}i ikakvihkrojeva, samo na osnovunekoliko brojeva koje je dobio“uzimanjem mjere”.

Savladao je odli~no italijanskijezik, prihvatio je u potpunostiitalijanske obi~aje.

Mo`ete li zamisliti kako Aron,dijete iz kasabe kao {to je bioVi{egrad, tiho pjevu{i arije izPu~inijevih opera dok povla~ikredom linije po {tofu. ^udnaje, barem za mene, prirodaljudske memorije. Sje}am se,naprimjer, tako neva`nogdetalja kao {to je ~injenica dasu se poslije Drugog rata uSarajevu mogle nabavitiitalijanske novine Coriere deTrieste koje je on redovnokupovao i prvo gledao

rezultate fudbalskih utakmicaa posebno tr{}anskog timaPonziana. Ni{ta takodjer, neznam o njegovomsentimentalnom ̀ ivotu u Trstu.Da je postojala neka `ena uprostoru mogu samo danaslutim. Jednom sam ga ~akdirektno pitao o tome ali jeizbjegao odgovor.Bezbri`no i mo`da sretnorazdoblje trajalo je dvadesetgodina, ta~no koliko i inter-val izme|u Prvog i Drugogsvjetskog rata, vrijeme kojesu stariji ~esto zvali“mirnodopski” period.Negdje 1939 ili 1940-tegodine, morao je, kao i svistranci, da napusti Italiju.O~ito je da je te{ka srcanapustio Italiju, bio se ve}potpuno “poitalijanio”,aklimatizirao, stekaoprijatelje. Vi{e putao sam ga~uo kako pri~a, kaoanegdotu, razgovor saitalijanskim prijateljimaneposredno prije odlaska..Znaju}i da rat dolazi kaoneminovnost prijatelji su mu,ne bez zluradosti, govorilikako }e Italija” progutatiJugoslaviju”. Iako nikad nije`ivio u dr`avi koja se zvalaJugoslavija, te nije mogaoimati neki jugoslavenskipatriotski osje}aj, (mo`da samoosje}aj geografskepripadnosti) odgovorio im jeponosno da }e im taj zalogaj“ostati u grlu”p r e d s k a z u ju } itako ishod rata usamom njegovomishodi{tu.. Vratiose u Sarajevo saz n a ~ a j n o mu { t e | e v i n o m ,te{ko ste~enom alin e p o v r a t n oizgubljenom uratu.Pro{ao je sve puteve koje supro{li oni sarajevski Jevrejikoji su pre`ivjeli Drugi svjetskirat, bijeg prema italijanskojokupacionoj zoni, italijanskilogori na Hvaru i Rabubje`anije i zbjegovi naoslobo|enoj teritoriji. Mojenajranije sje}anje na Arona jeiz januara 1945. godine.. Biosam tad sa majkom u nekomzaba~enom selu na Kordunu.

Seljani, koji su nam pru`iligostoprimstvo i omogu}ili datu pre`ivimo, dotr~a{e saradosnom vije{}u mojoj majcisve vi~u}i “Dolazi Kamki,dolazi Kamki”.Valjda im jeprezime Kamhi izgledalo

strano i te{ko za izgovor, madane vidim za{to bi Kamki bilolak{e izgovoriti nego Kamhi.Udaljini prvo sam vidio malusiluetu ~ovjeka koji se te{kokretao prte}i snijeg koji je tezime napadao gotovo dostruka. Kad je kona~no stigaovidio sam jednogsredovje~nog ~ovjeka lijepihcrta lica, blagog i prijatnog.Tako sam upoznao svog o~uhaArona. Gdje su se on i mojamajka sreli, upoznali, pokazalime|usobnu naklonost i rije{ili

da kao par lak{e nastave borbuza pre`ivljavanje osta}e zamene zauvijek nepoznanica.Aron je, na oslobo|enojteritoriji mobilisan u partizane,imao je ve} tada blizu 50godina, nije bio u borbenimjedinicama; radio u pozadinikao kroja~. Tako je i mogao dauzme par “slobodnih dana” i

ARON

Nastavak na slijede}oj strani

da nas posjeti u zbjegu. Iz teratne veze ve} iste godine rodiose moj brat Dario.Kad je rat zavr{en, i kad smo sevratili u Sarajevo, Aron je uTitovoj ulici, u samom centruSarajeva, otvorio Kroja~ki sa-lon. ^esto sam dolazio unjegovu radnju bilo nekim“poslom” da mu donesemru~ak ili neku poruku od mameili naprosto da budem malo unjegovom dru{tvu.

Opet se vrlo precizno sje}amtako neva`nih detalja kao {tosu uramljeni reklamni posterimodela u odijelima koja su senosila prije rata razmje{tenisvuda po zidovima radnje. Na`alost uop{te se ne sje}am dasmo `ivjeli kao sretnaporodica.

Brak Arona i moje majkeraskinut je poslije nekolikomjeseci, nakon brojnih mu~nihscena sva|a i pomirenja. @ivjelisu razdvojeno ali su i daljenastavili da sara|uju naekonomskom planu i njihovodnos nije bio ni maloneprijateljski. O~ito je da seAron, koji je doslovno ~itav`ivot ̀ ivio kao vuk samotnjak,nije mogao prilagoditi `ivotuu zajednici. I tako je gotovo 4godine funkcionisala jedna

~udna veza, koja je bilazadovoljavaju}a za obojestrane ~im su je tako prihvatili.Jedino sam ja ostao zakinut,zakinut za oca.

Ipak jednom, imao sam osje}aj

da mi je Aron otac. Negdje uljeto 1948. godine poveo jesamo mene na jednoputovanje. Obi{li smo sela naKordunu gdje smo se skrivaliu toku rata, a zatim smo provelipar nezaboravnih dana uLa{kom kod Novog Mesta i naBohinju. Dr`ao me je za rukudok smo pje{ke obi{li cijeloBohinjsko Jezero sve doizvora Save. Po tome kako jepoznavao krajolik, zaklju~iosam da ovdje nije prvi put.

I tada je dosla 1949-ta godina,velika jugoslovenska alija.Aron je odlu~io da ode u Izrael.Znam da je nagovarao i mojumajku koja se, ~ini mi se spravom, suprostavljala tojideji. Bili su ve} u godinama amlada dr`ava tra`ila je i mladeljude, entuzijaste, koji }eizgraditi novu zemlju. A i ratza nezavisnost jo{ nije biozavr{en. Mogu}e je da su se bilidogovorili da on ode i “ispitateren” a mi bi eventualno do{likasnije. Sje}am se da smo gasve troje ispratili, mahao sammu sa keja dubrova~ke lukeGru` dok je brod Radnikisplovljavao.

Naredne tri godine koje je Aronproveo u Izraelu su za menetakodje opskurne, znam samoda se nije ba{ ”sna{ao”, niti subile prilike da se modni kroja~iska`e u zemlji koja je tek

iza{la iz rata. Radio jekod jednog kroja~a,spavao na radnom stoluu radnji i sanjao da sevrati. Slao je pisma irazglednice Jerusalema,a ponekad bi namstigao sandu~i} sa “Jaffa“ naran~ama, pravobogatstvo za nas apredmet zavisti zaokolinu u vrijeme kad jenaran~a bila egzoti~novo}e. Negdje tre}egodine majka je po~elapisati molbe u Beogradda mu se dozvolipovratak jer jeiseljenjem u Izraelizgubio jugoslavenskodr`avljanstvo. Bila je,

kao uostalom u svemu, uporna,li~no je putovala u Beograd,govorila mi je da ide u“mar{alat” valjda kod samogTita, {ta li. I uspjela je. Aron sevratio 1952 godine. A ve} 53.g

Nastavak sa predhodne straneARON

rodio se moj najmladji bratHari.

I opet, na `alost , brak mojemajke i Arona nijefunkcionisao. To dvoje ljudiimali su ne{to zajedni~ko {toih je vezivalo i privla~ilo alijo{ vi{e suprotnosti, {to jeisklju~ivalo zajedni~ki `ivot.

Aron je otvorio kroja~ku radnjuna samom rubu Ba{~ar{ije, ujednoj staroj magazi, sa te{kim`eljeznim vratima jo{ izturskog doba kakva se jo{mogu vidjeti na starimdu}anima Ba{~ar{ije. I nije tobio vi{e kroja~ki salon negodosta neugledna kroja~karadnja gdje je Aron radio i`ivio. Da, tu u radnji je i `ivio,kao sto je `ivio u svojimradnjama u Izraelu i u Italiji.Dao je napraviti jedan paravaniza koga je bilo mjesta samo zajedan uzak krevet gdje jespavao. Tu u radnji, izazatvorenih `eljeznih vrata,igrao je ve~ernje partije remijasa svojim starim prijateljima.Igralo se dosta ozbiljno, zanovac i Aron je, koliko sesje}am, ~e{}e dobivao nego {toje gubio. Tu u radnju donosiosam mu ru~ak koji je spremilamama.Najvi{e se radovaopastelu, koji je po njemu moraobiti te~an, “da se jedeka{ikom”. Mutna uspomena itradicija jo{ iz [panije.I klijentela je bila druga, svemahom siroma{an svijet, aposao uglavnom prepravke ipopravke..

Sredinom {ezdesetih godinaprvo stidljivo a kasnije sve

izra`enije ljudi su po~eliputovati u inostranstvo. Jednaod naj~e{}ih destinacija bio jeupravo Trst, pravo otkrovenje“shoping “ turizma. Bra}a i jasmo nagovarali Arona da ode uTrst i “ponovo pro|e ulicamasvoje mladosti”. Ideja mi sesvidjela ali je realizaciju uvijek

odga|ao za sljede}u godinu.

I tako su dani prolazili jedanza drugim bez ve}ih uzbu|enjai oscilacija, Aron je, sad ve} sanaporom, svakodnevno sjedioza ma{inom, stario je polako,nije se `alio da ima nekezdravstvene tegobe ali sevidjelo na licu da ga je `ivotdobro umorio. I tako sve do

1969. godine, jednog hladnogjanuarskog dana, te{ka`eljezna vrata ostala suzatvorena. Morali smo ihotvoriti nasilno. Aron je umrou snu tiho kao sto je i `ivio.

Albi Papo, Vankuver

Mart 2009. g.

I am always possessed by astrange feeling when thinkingof my father who tragically losthis life during the Holocaustwhen I was only three. Just twophotographs miraculouslysaved have given me the op-portunity to imagine how heactually looked. Nothing more.For years I have felt the aware-ness that I do not remember myfather at all as a huge defi-ciency, as if I were deprived ofan experience, that of the fa-

ther-and-son relationship. Still,were the circumstances slightlydifferent there was a man whocould have taken my father’splace. Here I would like to writeabout him, about Aron, my step-father. It is quite difficult to de-scribe a whole life in a shortstory. One can write only aboutfragments from life – some pic-tures or drafts of pictures. Thetruth is that I do not know muchabout him because we lived atthe same time only for sometwenty five years. Furthermoremany details from his life havefaded away from my memorywith the passage of time andthey pop up as if through mist.

Aron was born in Vi{egrad,back in the nineteenth century– in 1896. He was named afterhis father who had died imme-diately before his birth. What astrange coincidence at the verybeginning. He neither knew norhad any chance to learn what itmeant to have a father. I knownothing about his childhood. Ican only assume that it washard. Life was poor and mea-gre at that time. When hereached his adolescence his

uncle sent him to Sarajevo tobecome a tailor. At the verytime when he completed hislearning and grew to the age tobe conscripted to the army,World War One started. Later,he recounted the stories of thebattles he fought as a soldier ofthe K und K Monarchy, first onthe Karpates and later on PiaveRiver on the Italian front, aslaughter scene similar to thatin Flanders; he told me of themuddy trenches, dead and

wounded soldiers scattered allover the battle fields. With aminor wound he was taken to ahospital where he realized thathe personally has sufficientlycontributed to general humanmisery and disgrace. He de-cided not to go back to thefront and to achieve this he wascontinuously infecting his oth-erwise trivial wound, not let-ting it to heal. In the meantimethe war ended.

The next period of his life, I willrefer to it as the Italian Periodis completely unknown to me.The best twenty years, accord-ing to his confession, Aronspent in Trieste. I also do notknow whether he came back toBosnia for a while after the warended or whether he just stayedin Italy. I do know though thathe worked there as a tailor andthat he mastered the skills bywhich the Italians are so wellknown worldwide. Not withoutpride he used to say later thatwhile in Trieste he used tomake suits for outstanding per-sons and the crest of the soci-ety. I was the witness to howgood a tailor he was by watch-

ing him trace his white tailor’schalk and cut the cloth - notusing any pattern but only thenumbers that he would arriveat by “taking the measures”.He was fluent in the Italian lan-guage; he completely em-braced the Italian habits. Canyou imagine Aron, a child fromthe tiny town that Vi{egrad is,humming arias from Puccinioperas while tracing his chalkover the cloth. I think that thenature of human memory is

strange. For in-stance, althoughan insignificantdetail, I rememberthat in Sarajevoafter World WarTwo it was possi-ble to get the Ital-ian paper Corrierede Trieste that hewas buying on aregular basis start-ing to read themby checking onfootball game re-sults, especiallythose of the Triesteteam Ponziana. Ialso know nothingabout his senti-

mental life in Trieste. I canonly guess that there was awoman somewhere in hisspace. Once I even asked himdirectly about it but he avoidedthe answer. A carefree and sup-posedly happy period lastedsome twenty years – exactly thelength of the interval betweenthe World Wars One and Two, atime that the elderly often re-ferred to as the “Piece period”.In 1939 or 1940 hehad to leave Italy,same as all the otherforeigners. He was,obviously, unhappyto leave Italy be-cause he became anItalian in many ways,he got used to thelife there and hadmany friends. Quitea few times I haveheard him recount-ing in a form of ananecdote a conversa-tion he had with his Italianfriends immediately beforeleaving. Knowing for certainthat the war was approachinghis friends were telling himwith a certain degree of malice

that Italy “will swal-low Yugoslavia”. Although henever lived in a country calledYugoslavia and therefore hadno patriotic feelings for it (per-haps only the feeling of geo-graphic affiliation) he repliedthat that “bite would chokethem”, predicting so the out-come of the war at its very start.He came back to Sarajevo withconsiderable savings earned byhard work but he lost it for everduring the war.

He went along all the paths thatwere shared by those SarajevoJews who survived World WarTwo. This means: flight in thedirection of the Italian occupa-tion zone, Italian camps on Hvarand Rab islands, flight to andrefuge on the liberated terri-tory. My first memories of Arongo back to January of 1945. Atthat time I was with my motherin a remote village in theKordun region. The local peas-ants who offered us their gen-erosity and thus enabled us tosurvive, came running withjoyous news for my mother:“Kamki is coming, Kamki iscoming!” they shouted. Thesurname Kamhi appeared for-eign to them it seems, and dif-ficult to pronounce, although Ican not see why Kamki wouldbe easier than Kamhi. In thedistance I first saw a silhouetteof a man moving with difficul-ties through the snow that fellalmost as high as the waist thatwinter. When he finally arrivedI saw a middle aged man withhandsome features who waskind and pleasant. That is how

I first met my stepfather Aron.Where he and my mother met;where they got to know eachother and had shown their mu

ARON

Continue on the next page

tual fondness, and where theydecided that it would be easierfor them to fight for the survivalif they were a couple will al-ways remain a secret for me. Onthe liberated territory Aron wascalled up to fight for the Parti-sans; he was almost 50 then. Hewas not in the fighting unitsbut worked as a tailor in the rearlines. That is how he could takea few “days off “ and visit us inour refuge. From that war rela-tionship my brother Dario wasborn that same year.

When the war was over andwhen we came back to SarajevoAron opened a tailor’s shop inthe very centre of Sarajevo. Ioften went visiting him in hisshop, either on an “errand “ –to bring him lunch or a mes-sage from my mother – or sim-ply to be in his company for awhile.

Another of my very precisememories of insignificant de-tails is that of the shop wallscovered by framed posters ofmodels dressed in suites thatwere in fashion before the war.Regretfully, I have no memo-ries of happy family life.

The marriage between Aronand my mother was brokensome months later, followingnumerous scenes of argumentsand reconciliations. They sepa-rated but they went on poolingresources and their relationshipwas not an antagonistic one. Itis clear that Aron who lived likea lone wolf literally all his lifecould not get used to life in aunion. For almost four years a

strange liaison was functioningin this way which obviouslysuited both sides since they hadaccepted it. I was the only onewho was denied; I was denieda father.Once, nevertheless, I had afeeling that Aron was my fa-ther. In summer of 1948 hetook only me for a trip. Wevisited the villages in Kordunin which we used to hide dur-ing the war, and later we spenta few unforgettable days atLa{ko close to Novo Mestoand at Bohinj. He held myhand while we were walkingaround the Bohinj Lake andall the way up to the source ofSava River. His knowledge ofthe landscape indicated that itwas not the first visit to theseplaces.Then it was the year of 1949 –the great Yugoslav aliyah.Aron had decided to go to Is-rael. I know that he tried to talkmy mother into the idea which

she opposed, appro-priately I think. Theywere not young anymore, and the youngstate needed young,enthusiastic peopleto build the newcountry. Besides, thewar for independ-ence was not over yet.It is likely that theyreached an under-standing accordingto which he would goand “test theground” and the restof us would possibly

come later. I remember that thethree of us went to see him off.I waved to him from the quayof the Dubrovnik harbour Gru`while the ship Radnik was leav-ing.

The following three years thatAron was in Israel are also ob-scure in my mind. I only knowthat he did not “get on” wellnor did a fashion tailor have achance to prove himself in acountry which had justemerged from war. He workedfor a tailor there, slept on thedesk in the shop and dreamt ofreturning. He sent letters andpost cards of Jerusalem andoccasionally a box of “Jaffa”oranges would reach us – a real

Continued from the previouspage

ARONtreasure for us and a cause ofenvy among those surroundingus in a time when oranges wereexotic fruit. Some three yearafter his departure my mother

started writing requests to Bel-grade asking permission for hisreturn, because by emigratingto Israel he lost the Yugoslavcitizenship. She was deter-mined, as she had been witheverything, and she travelledto Belgrade. She would tell methat she was going to Marshal’soffice, presumably to Tito him-self. And so she succeeded.Aron came back in 1952. Al-ready in 1953 my youngestbrother Hari was born

I am sorry to say that yet againthe marriage of my mother andAron was not functioning prop-erly. These two people hadsomething in common that at-tracted and linked them butthey had even more oppositesthat ruled out their life together.Aron opened a tailor’s shop atthe edge of Ba{~ar{ija, in anold store with heavy iron doordating back to the Turkish pe-riod similar to the others onecan still see on the old shops ofBa{~ar{ija. It was not the typeof shop he had before. It was anondescript place where Aronworked and lived. Yes, he livedthere in that shop, just the sameas he lived in his shops in Is-rael and in Italy. He had ascreen made in the shop at theback of which was spaceenough only for a narrow bedon which he slept. There, in thatshop, behind the closed irondoor he played the evening

games of rummy with hisfriends. They played for seri-ous money, and as far as I canremember Aron was winning

more often than loosing. Iwould bring to the shop thelunches that mother cooked forhim. He mostly enjoyed pastel.According to him it had to beliquid “to be eaten by a spoon”- a vague memory and tradi-tion from Spain.

His clients were different also.Most of them poor people andhe was working mainly on re-pairs and alterations. In midsixties people started travellingabroad, at first shyly but latermore distinctly. Trieste was oneof the major destinations. It wasa real discovery of “shopping”tourism. My brothers and I triedto convince Aron to go toTrieste and to “walk again thestreets of his youth”. The ideaappealed to him but he alwayspostponed its realisation forthe following year.

The days were passing one af-ter the other with no significantexcitements or oscillations.Aron would sit daily at his ma-chine, now with visible effort;he slowly grew older, not com-plaining of any health prob-lems but his face was tellingthat life had made him tired.And so on a cold January dayof 1969 the iron door remainedclosed. We had to open it byforce. Aron died in his sleep,quietly as he lived.

Albi Papo, Vancouver

March of 2009

Svi su nasmije{eni osim onog u ka~ketu,pored vlastite ̀ ene; Clandon House & ParkThey are all smiling but the one next to hiswife; Clandon House & Park

Uvijek nasmije{ene; Brankica i Ra{elaAlways smiling: Brankica and Rachel

Bilo kuda, pub je svuda; LewesThere is no way we could miss a pub;Lewes

Jo{ malo pa: Jevrejska zajednica«Prijateljice La Benevolencije» uHever Castle-uWith a few exceptions, almost TheJewish Society of «The Ladies Friendsof La Benevolencija»

A ovako izgleda na povratku! / This is how it looks on the way back!

Ne izgleda ba{ kao Jadran polovicomjula?!Not exactly the Adriatic in mid July?!

Izlet u Bucklers Hard. [ta je smije{no?Outing to Bucklers hard. What is sofunny?

“Prijatelji La Benevolencije” izLondona na sederu u Sarajevu 2009“The Friends of La Benevolencija”,London, on Seder night in Sarajevo2009

[ta li je u fla{ama?What can be in the bottles?

I sarajlije su sa nama na izletu.Friends from Sarajevo joined us.

Vitezovi okruglog stola.The knights of the round table.

Ovo je na polasku. Znamo, jer niko nespava.This is on the way out. We know, as no-one is sleeping

Erev Pesah ove 5769 godine jepao na dan 8 aprila 2009godine po Georgijanskomkalendaru. Desilo se prvi putnakon mnogo godina da nismoodr`ali na{u zajedni~ku Sederve~eru. Bilo je dosta razloga zato. Mada nismo bili zajedno teve~eri do`ivjeli smo je kaopraznik koji je posve}enoslobo|enju od svakog oblikastege. Nakon svih na{ihiskustava tokom godina ovajvid praznika Pesah je odnajve}e va`nosti za na{u maluzajednicu. A Pesah ima tolikodrugih vidova – istorija, naziv,priprema, Seder, glavnipredmeti na stolu, Hagada,hrana , maces, hamec, pjesme isvakako humor koji sve toprati. Mi smo vi{e ili manjesvjesni svih tih vidova. Svjesnismo i toga da se tradicija uzemlji iz koje dolazimodonekle razlikuje od one kojase ovdje primjenjuje. Te razlikesu u stvari razlike izme|utradicije kod Sefarda na kojusmo navikli kod ku}e i

tradicije A{kenaza koju smozatekli kada smo do{li ovamo.Pa da vidimo neke od tihvarijacija:- Zakoni koji se odnose nahranu. Prva razlika je ukori{tenju kitnijot. To je malozrnevlje jednogodi{njih biljkikoje se mo`e samljeti u bra{noi derivate u drugimproizvodima. To zrnevljeobuhvata: kim, leblebiju,kukuruz, grah, suhi gra{ak,sjemenke od suncokreta itd.Sefardi ih konzumiraju tokompraznika Pesah, a A{kenazi ne.

Druga razlika je kada se radi omesu. A{kenazima jezabranjeno da jedu jagnjetinu,ali kod nekih Sefarda se mo`ena}i u nekom jelu za Sederve~eru. U ~emu se Sefardi iA{kenazi sla`u kada se govorio hrani za Pesah? I jedni i drugise sla`u da je za Pesahzabranjeno imati u ku}i ili do}iu dodir sa hamec hljebom(hljeb sa kvascom) i sa hranomkoja je napravljena od hamecsastojaka (je~am, pir, ra`, zob ip{enica) ako nisu u macesu.- Postoji razlika i u rasporeduSeder tanjira i simboli~ne hranena njima. Za razliku odA{kenaza Sefardi pridajuKabalisti~ko zna~enje svakomsastojku hrane na tanjiru.

- Mada je tekst Pesah Hagade uosnovi isti i za Sefarde i zaA{kenaze, fleksibilnost iraznovrsnost Pesah pjesamapred kraj Sedera je ve}a kodSefarda. I kod jednih i drugihtekst i pjesme Hagade mogu dase ~itaju i pjevaju na lokalnom

jeziku, ili mje{avinilokalnog dijalekta ihebrejskog, ilikombinaciji lokalnogjezika, hebrejskog idrugih jezika.

- Govore}i o naginjanju`ena dok sjede za Sederstolom je jo{ jednapraksa po kojoj seA{kenazi i Sefardirazlikuju. Obi~aj je da seA{kenaske `eneizuzimaju iz ritualanaginjanja, me|utimmnoge Sefardske ̀ ene seodlu~uju za to da senaginju.

- Mnogi Sefardipredstavljaju Eksodus iz

Egipta. Ova tradicija serazlikuje od podru~ja dopodru~ja. U tradiciji Judeo-[panskog porijekla (Turska,Gr~ka i uop{te Balkan), vo|aSedera napu{ta prostoriju ivra}a se u nju sa {tapom zahodanje i afikomanom (to jeonaj komad macesa koji jeprepolovljen na po~etkuSedera i ostavljen da se pojedekao dezert nakon ve~ere) kojise nalazi bilo u vre}i ili krpi nanjegovom ramenu, sem togaima i stegnut kai{. Tada djecapitaju vo|u Sedera: „Odakle

dolazi{?“ Ovaj odgovara „IzEgipta“ i u nastavku pri~apri~u Eksodusa iz Egipta.Potom djeca pitaju vo|uSedera: „Kuda ide{?“. Ovajodgovara : U Jerusalem!“ Ovapredstava se donekle razlikujeu tradicijama Sefarda izSjeverne Afrike i Sefarda izJemena. Ceremonija koja seodnosi na predstavljanjeEksodusa iz Egipta uglavnomvarira prema tome (1) da li seto radi prije nego {to po~neSeder ili tokom samog Sedera;(2) ko u~estvuje u ceremoniji– (A) ponekad samo vo|aSedera obavlja ritual, ili (B)nekad se odabere dijete daiza|e iz prostorije u kojoj seodvija Seder i njegovimkucanjem na vrata po~injerazmjena pitanja i odgovora.

Svi koji se nalaze za Sederstolom pitaju: „Ko je tamo ?“Djete treba da odgovori:„Izrael~anin.“ Svi za stolomopet pitaju : „Odakle dolazi{?“Dijete odgovara: „Iz Egipta.“Na pitanje: „Kuda ide{?“ dijeteodgovara: „U Izraelskuzemlju“ (ili „u Jrusalem“)Zatim dijete ulazi u prostorijui po~inje se sa Sederom.Me|utim ovu predstava neizvode svi Sefardi. To ne rade{pansko-portugalski Sefardi,niti to rade A{kenazi.- Sefardi Judeo-[panskogporijekla iz Turske, Gr~ke iostalih dijelova Balkana serazlikuju od A{kenza popitanju otvaranja vrata zaproroka Elijahu. Oni to radanakon kazivanja pri~e oPesahu. Kazuju}i : „Ovo jehljeb jada i boli koji su na{iO~evi jeli u Egipatskoj zemlju.Svi koji gladujete, dodjite i

RIJE^ DVIJE O PESAHUjedite. Svikoji ste unevolji do|itei slavite Pesah“, otvaraju sevrata, a zatim se ka`e slijede}e:„Ove godine smo ovdje,slijede}e godine u zemljiIzrael. Ove godine smo robovi,idu}e godine }emo bitislobodni.“ Ve}ina drugihSefarda ne otvara vrata zaElijahu-a. Ve}ina A{kena-zaranije otvara vrata za Elijahua.

- Me|u nekim Sefardimapostoji obi~aj da nakon Sederauzmu haro{et i stave na 5mjesta pri ulazu u ku}u, kaorecimo na prag, blizu mezuze isli~no. Ovo se radi za sre}u.A{kenazi nemaju ovaj ritual.- Mnogi Sefardi i A{kenazizavr{avaju praznik Pesah tako

{to se negdje pred Pono} okupebilo u sinagogi ili na nekongradskom trgu da ple{u ipjevaju „Pjesmu mora“ izknjige o Eksodusu. Proslavljase i prikazuje „razdvajanje“mora.

Ovo su samo neke od razlikakoje uistinu uop{te nisu va`nepo{to smo mi svi – Sefardi,A{kenazi i svi drugi Jevrejisvijeta – slavili i dalje }emoslaviti sa veseljem ovaj praznikslobode.

Priredila Branka Danon

Seder u Sarajevu 2009.Seder night in Sarajevo 2009.

Erev Pesach of this 5769 yeartook place on the 8th of April,2009 according to the Georgiancalendar. As it happened it wasthe first time after many yearsthat we did not have our com-munal Seder meal. It was due tomany reasons. Although nottogether that evening we expe-rienced it as always as a festi-val celebrating liberation fromany form of bondage. Follow-ing all our experiences over theyears this aspect of Pesach isof utmost importance for our

small community. There are somany other aspects to Pesach -history, name, preparation,Seder, main articles on the ta-ble, Haggadah, food, Matzo,Hametz, songs and of coursethe humour that goes with it.We are more or less aware of allof these aspects. We are alsoaware that the tradition in thecountry we have come from issomewhat different to the onefollowed in this country. Thesedifferences are actually the dif-ferences between the Sephardictradition that we were used toback at home and the Ashkenazithat we found coming here. Letus see what some of these vari-ations are.- Dietary laws. The first differ-ence is in the usage of kitniyos.These are small fleshless seedsof annual plants that an indi-vidual might ground into flourand their derivatives in otherproducts. These include: cara-way seeds, chick peas, corn,dried beans, dried peas, sun-flower seeds, etc. Sephardimconsume them during Pesachholidays and Ashkenazim donot. The other one is when itcomes to meat. The Ashkenazimhave been forbidden to eat lambmeat, but some Sephardim mayhave lamb as a feature dish attheir Pesach Seder meal. WhichPesach dietary issues doSephardim and Ashkenazimagree on? Both agree that hav-

ing any contact with and pos-session in one’s household ofchametz bread (leavened bread)is forbidden on Pesach as wellas any foods made with chametzingredients (barley, spelt, rye,oats, and wheat) outside ofmatzah.- There are also differences inthe arrangement of Seder platesand the symbolic food on them.Unlike Ashkenazim Sephardimadd Cabbalistic meanings toeach of the symbolic foods onthe plate.- While the text in PesachHaggadahs is basically identi-cal for Sephardim andAshkenazim, the flexibility andvariety of Pesach songs to-wards the end of the Seder isgreater among the Sephardim.For both Sephardim andAshkenazim, the text and songsin the Haggadah may be readand sung in the local language,or a mixture of the local vernacu-lar and Hebrew, or a combina-tion of the local language, He-brew, and other languages.- The issue of women recliningat the Pesach Seder table is an-other practice which differs be-tween Sephardim andAshkenazim. Ashkenazi womenwere customarily exempted fromthe ritual of reclining, howevermany Sephardic women chooseto recline.- Many Sephardim re-enact theExodus from Egypt. This tradi-tion differs from region to re-gion. In the tradition of Judeo-Spanish decent (Turkey andGreece and Balkans in general)the Seder leader will leave theroom, return with a walking stickand the afikoman (it is a half-piece of matzo which is brokenin the early stages of the PesachSeder and set aside to be eatenas a dessert after the meal) ineither a sack or cloth on hisshoulder, plus a tightened belt.The children then ask the Sederleader: “Where are you comingfrom?”, and the Seder leadersays: “From Egypt.” The Sederleader then recites the story ofthe Exodus from Egypt. Thenthe children ask the Sederleader: “Where are you going?”To which the Seder leader says:“To Jerusalem!” This re-enact-ment is somewhat different both

in the traditions of Sephardimfrom North Africa and fromYemen. Essentially, the cer-emony surrounding the re-en-actment of the Exodus fromEgypt varies according to: (1)whether it is done before Sederbegins or during its course; (2)who performs the ceremony -(A) sometimes only the Sederleader performs this ritual, or;(B) sometimes a child will beselected to go outside the roomwhere the Seder takes place andhis knock on the door will be-

gin the exchange of questionsand answers. All at the Sedertable will ask: “Who’s there?”The child will then reply: “AnIsraelite.” All at the table willthen ask: “Where are you com-ing from?” The child replies:“From Egypt”. The question“Where are you going?” is an-swered: “To the land of Israel(or “To Jerusalem”). The childthen enters the room and the

Seder begins. However, not allthe Sephardim conduct this re-enactment. Spanish-PortugueseSephardim do not do it, nor dothe Ashkenazim.- Greek, Turkish and Balkans

A WORD OR TWO ON PESACHSephardim ofJudeo-Spanishdecent differfrom Ashkenazim when it comesto opening the door for Elijahthe Prophet. They will open thedoor for Elijah following the re-telling of the Pesach story bysaying: This is the bread of af-fliction that our fathers ate inthe land of Egypt. All who hun-ger come and eat. All who needcome and celebrate Pesach.”The door is then opened, andlater the following said: “This

year, we are here, next year inthe Land of Israel. This year weare slaves, next year we shallbe free.” Most other Sephardimdo not open the door for Elijah.Most Ashkenazim will open thedoor for Elijah earlier.Following the Pesach Sederthere is a custom among someSephardim to take the haroshetand put in 5 places at the en-trance to the household, suchas on the doorsteps, near themezuzah, and so on. This isdone for good luck. Ashkenazimdo not perform this ritual.- Many Sephardim andAshkenazim also conclude thePesach holidays by gatheringnear midnight either in a syna-gogue or in a town square todance and sing the “song of theSea” from the book of Exodus.There is also a celebration andre-enactment of the “parting” oropening up of the Sea.These are only some of the dif-ferences that are really not im-portant because we – theSephardim and the Ashkenazimand all the other Jews world-wide - have been and will go oncelebrating with joy this festi-val of freedom.Prepared by Branka Danon

IZDAVA^ <> PUBLISHER Jevrejska Zajednica “Prijatelji La Benevolencije” London <> Jewish Society “The Friends of La

Benevolencija” London ADRESA <> ADDRESS

Shalvata - Jewish Care, Att Mr Branko DanonParson Street - Corner of Church Road

London NW4 1QAEmail: salon@benevolencija.eu.org

REDAKCIJA <> EDITORIAL BOARDBranka Danon, Branko Danon, @elimir Ku~inovi}, Sveto Ga}inovi}, Vesna Domany-Hardy, Dragan Ungar

TEHNI^KI UREDNIK I KOMPJUTERSKA OBRADA <> DESIGN AND COMPUTER PROCESSING .

Dejan Stojni}Logo: Daniel Ovadia

SaLon je besplatan i izlazi tromjese~noMi{ljenja u SaLonu nisu nu`noi stajali{ta urednika ili izdava~a.

SaLon is free of charge and published quarterlyThe opinions expressed in SaLon are not

necessarely those of the editors or the publisher

<><><>

Rukopisi i slike se u pravilu ne vra}aju.® SaLon

IZME\U DVA BROJA/IN BETWEEN ISSUESIzme|u dva broja / Dragan Ungar ...................... 1,2

JUBILEJI / JUBILEESMami / Majo Musafija ........................................... 3To Mum / Majo Musafija ....................................... 4

SJE]ANJA / MEMORIES

Aron / Albi Papo ................................................. 5,6Aron / Albi Papo ................................................. 7,8

OKUPLJANJA / GETTING TOGETHER

Ovako se okupljamo .............................................. 9

ZONA U^ENJA / LEARNING ZONE

Rije~ dvije o pesahu / . Branka Danon ...................................... 10A word or two on Pesach / . Branka Danon ...................................... 11

IMPRESIJE / IMPRESSIONS

Srijeda je / Branko Danon ................................... 12

SADR@AJ / CONTENTS

Srijeda je, 8. april 2009 ili preciznije 14 nisan 5769 ljetagospodnjeg. Sarajevo, sala Jevrejske op{tine (bar sam ja takonau~io da je zovem), a mo`da je i op}ine. Ona velika sala ispodhrama. Sala koja je nastala 60-tih godina pro{log vijeka,uspje{nim prostornim preoblikovanjem za zadovoljenjepromijenjenih potreba tada{nje op{tine, a po projektu DIA MirkaOvadie, sala, dakle, za zadovoljenje komunalnih potreba O{tine.Navedenog dana, ili ta~nije ve~eri, odvijao se tu najve}i godi{njikomunalni doga|aj Sarajevske jevrejske op{tine – Seder ve~e;po~etak jednog od najva`nijih praznika jevrejskog naroda. Salaje velika, ali ispade nedovoljna za sve koji su htjeli da prisustvuju.I mi iz londonske Zajednice 'Prijatelji la Benevolencije' bili smozastupljeni, dostojno - ~ak troje. Pa i od to troje – dva Predsjednika,jedan teku}i i jedan biv{i! Znali smo, dodu{e, da su u Sarajevu uisto vrijeme boravili jo{ neki ~lanovi na{e Zajednice, no oni nisubili zinteresovani. Nisu zainteresovani ni ovdje u Londonu, pasmo na istom.Ve~e je iskusno vodio jo{ uvijek mladi rabin Eliezer Papo, ranijepoznat kao Ranko Jaj~anin, koga je svojevremeno, u mirno doba,Jevrejska zajednica Bosne i Hercegovine poslala u Je{ivu u Jeru-salem, da izu~ava i da joj bude komunalni, rezidentni rabin. Onto sada obavlja – putuju}i iz Izraela. Ka`em, vodio je Sederiskusno, jer ga je, pou~en razvojem doga|aja iz ranijih godina, io~igledno poznaju}i pastvu, sveo u proceduri na obavljanjenajbitnijeg. Vje{to je u ~itanja uklju~ivao djecu i omladinu,nadaju}i se da }e u njihovim daljim `ivotima to postati diotradicije. Valjda je to ispravan put ka kontinuitetu.Moji osje}aji su bili izmije{ani i pomalo haoti~ni. Moram priznatida sam bio uzbu|en jer sam prisustvovao doga|aju kome sam upro{losti toliko puta bio u~esnikom. Sjedim uz bliske prijatelje,no uzalud sam za stolovima tra`io osobe kojima bih mahnuo,kao obi~no, u znak prepoznavanja i kojima bih oti{ao dapro}askam prije obreda. Ili su u Vankuveru ili u Cfatu ili NovomSadu, ili nisu vi{e nigdje (na ovom svijetu, mislim). I ja samnegdje, sve manje u Sarajevu, vjerovatno ne}u prisustvovatislijede}em Sederu. Tempora mutantur.

Branko Danon