An Argentine Pope Encourages a Jewish Choir in Serbia to Continue

When Pope Francis met with a delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate in January 2016, the Argentine-born church leader expressed support for the Serbian-Jewish Singing Society.

During the meeting, called to discuss the Canonization of “>Judenfrei” in the early 1940s after only months of occupation by the Nazis. Today, the “>Yugoslavia was a safe zone for Austrian Jews fleeing Hitler following “> Baruch Brothers Choir. The three all died through and grew to be resistance symbol.

The choir's initial postwar performance was in 1948, but it wasn't until an invitation to perform in Jerusalem that the group found its footing. Andreja Preger led the 1948 performance. Now, over 100, he is the choir's eldest participant. Prege, who lived through the Holocaust, was one of many who met their spouses during rehearsals.

Despite Europe's increasing anti-Semitism tsunami, Zekic believes that in Serbia anti-Semitism comes in little portions. Serbia's Jews are struggling to maintain their identity. Following Yugoslavia's breakup in the 1990s, a new Jewish journey happened, and countless traveled to Israel and America. The aging went to Hungary.

Today Serbia's Jewish community is believed to number around three-thousand. About two-thousand live in Belgrade. The choir is the more noticeable aspect of the community, but it faces obstacles. Government assistance is inadequate and Zekic, a full-time director for the National Theater, volunteers his time to the choir.

Like others, Fuks has looked to find a way to best protect and encourage the Jewish population. One target has been working in the public schools. The choir also carries photographs, collected from war survivors, with them as a roaming exhibit.

It's not all somber; for Hanukkah every year they sing to a full auditorium and people have to stand in the wings.

“We sing Jewish songs,” American expat Jasna Pecarski says. “For the finale, we performed an Abba selection, ‘Mamma Mia.'”

The group also hopes to draw members from the people immigrating to the nation under the recently implemented