The last 60 Jews in Sarajevo were evacuated from the war-stricken city this week and have arrived in Split, Croatia, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee reported here.
The head of the Jewish community in Sarajevo, Ivica Ceresnjes, and his two deputies, were among the evacuees. The departure of the convoy Wednesday brought to an end, at least temporarily, 500 years of continuous Jewish presence in the city. The evacuation marks the final chapter in a complex air and overland operation that began in April, a JDC spokesman said. He said that with the onset of winter, emergency measures would be taken to aid the evacuees.
“We shall continue to look after these Jewish refugees in their temporary shelters in Split,” said JDC Executive Vice President Michael Schneider. He said that those who opt to go to Israel will be referred to the proper immigration agencies.
Meanwhile, an emergency relief task force to deal with the problems of the refugees has been established by the Paris-based European Council of Jewish Community services. Jewish communities in Belgrade and Zagreb continue to care for a significant number of the more than 1,000 Jews evacuated from Sarajevo over the past five months while they await permanent resettlement in Israel, Europe or elsewhere, the council said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.