Variations in Local Rule and Jewish Routes to Survival in the Independent State of Croatia

• In Event: Jewish Strategies for Survival during the Holocaust

Abstract

This paper compares Jewish experiences in various cities in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) to understand what factors affected the routes open to Jews for survival. Alongside postwar survivor testimonies, it utilizes sources from NDH offices responsible for the seizure of property and petitions sent by Jews which argued for their rights to their livelihoods. In using the process of “Aryanization” as a lens for analysis, it shows that Jews’ risky attempts to negotiate with the state, depending on various factors, could potentially secure them temporary reprieve from deportations and offer chances to hide or escape, while petitions related to the return or protection of property rights also often exposed contradictions in the NDH’s racial laws and forced authorities into debates over laws’ meanings and implementations.

Author

• Alma Huselja, UNC at Chapel Hill