This is the armband that Vera Tomanic wore during the Holocaust in Osijek, Croatia. The armband is made from yellow material and has a Star of David and the word “Jew” written in Croatian. The number 1553 is also printed on the armband. In Vera’s oral history, she describes the period of time when she first was commanded to wear the yellow armband in the following way:
"When the war started, the synagogue in Osijek was burned, and then every day, new limitations on Jews were announced: forbidding our movement, instituting a curfew, confiscating shops, banning us from using public transportation. We could not even go to the vegetable market in the morning, but only just before it closed. A new Jewish community was formed and we all had to register. In the community they gave us a little bit of help in the form of food. On July 10, 1941, the first 50 Jews and the first 50 Serbs were arrested. We Jews each received a numbered yellow armband and a little Star of David, which we had to wear."
Vera Tomanic grew up in Belisce, Croatia, where her father worked on the construction of the railroad. The family was religious and celebrated Shabbat and Jewish holidays. At home, Vera’s family spoke Croatian, Hungarian, and German. When she was of primary school age, she attended a public school and in addition received religious instruction twice a week from a traveling teacher. In order to enroll in the gymnasium (high school), Vera’s family moved to the larger city of Osijek. Osijek was home to 2,000 Jews and had an active Jewish community. Vera became involved in the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement and hoped to move to Israel, but her plans changed due to her marriage to a non-Jewish man who was an officer in the Yugoslav Army. With the outbreak of World War II, Vera’s husband was called up, and Vera moved back to live with her parents. As a Jew she was forced to wear the yellow armband and suffered from the implementation of anti-Jewish laws. Eventually Vera moved to Belgrade with her daughter and lived in very difficult conditions. Her husband was captured and held as a prisoner of war. In June 1942, Vera’s parents, aunt, and grandmother were sent to Tenja, a concentration camp in Serbia, and later to Auschwitz, where they were murdered. When the war ended, the surviving members of the family moved back to Osijek. At this time, Croatia was a communist country and life there was difficult. A distant relative in Israel helped the family survive the difficulties by sending packages. During these years, Vera’s husband was arrested for political activity and was imprisoned for three years. Vera became involved in the Jewish community and her children were raised “in a Jewish spirit.”
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Jewish Community of Croatia – Jews have been living in what is currently called Croatia since the seventh century. Life was very difficult for Jews until 1782 when Emperor Joseph II published a document calling for equality for all citizens. Jews were granted full citizen rights in 1873. At the onset of World War II, 25,000 Jews lived in Croatia. In 1941, life became very difficult for Jews living in Croatia after a pro-Nazi government began ruling the country. The government implemented discriminatory laws and collaborated with the Nazis, resulting in the murder of 78% of Croatian Jews in the Holocaust. Today there are approximately 2,000 Jews living in Croatia; they continue to suffer from anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.
