“Ethnographic Rarity“: The Jews of Montenegro in Socialist Yugoslavia
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Abstract
The article provides the first overview of the largely hidden and invisible Jewish presence in Montenegro during the socialist period (1945-1991). The author analyzes the relevant demographic data and the wider political, social and cultural context of Jewish life in Yugoslavia and Montenegro. Several representative individual destinies and life trajectories of people of Jewish origin who settled in Montenegro after the Second World War are discussed. Mixed (intercultural) Jewish-Montenegrin families became a rule rather than an exception in the second half of the 20th century. The article also sums up the Operation Velvetta from 1948, a secret military mission which allowed the transfer of Spitfire fighter planes from Czechoslovakia through Montenegro (airfield Kapino Polje near Nikšić) to Israel during its war for independence. The last section discusses the life trajectory of Danilo Kiš (1935-1989), Yugoslav writer of Jewish-Montenegrin origin, and his elaborations of Jewish identity
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Volume/Issue
33(1)
Page Number / Article Number
385-430
Bibliographic Information
“Ethnographic Rarity“: The Jews of Montenegro in Socialist Yugoslavia. 2024: 385-430. https://archive.jpr.org.uk/object-4220
