SARAJEVO: In a traditional Muslim housein the old quarter of Sarajevo, a film has revived two differentperiods of war during which Bosnian Muslims saved Jews fromNazis and then 50 years later Jews rescued Muslims from Bosnia’sbesieged capital.
Sabina Vajraca, a U.S.-based film director who herself was arefugee from Bosnia’s 1990s war, says she wants her short film to remind the world of the goodness of ordinary people during times of conflict in Europe and the Middle East.
In May, Vajraca’s script won the Holocaust Film Contest heldby the Claims Conference, the Jewish organisation which secures compensation for Holocaust survivors.
“Evil keeps coming back over and over and wars keep happening over and over and the whole message of this film is that whensuch an event happens, will you remember your humanity and saveothers or will you become small and fearful and only think ofyourself,” Vajraca said in an interview with Reuters.
The film “Sevap/Mitzvah” (A Good Deed) is based on the truestory of Muslim woman Zejneba Hardaga and her family who hid theJewish Kabiljo family at their home, risking their own lives,and helped them escape Nazi-occupied Sarajevo in the 1940s andthen move to Israel.
The Hardagas were recognized as Righteous Among the Nationsby the Israeli Holocaust museum Yad Vashem, based on testimonyprovided by the Kabiljo family. The honorific is awarded tonon-Jews who helped Jews escape persecution in the Holocaust.
Fifty years later, during the 1992-95 siege of Sarajevo byseparatist Bosnian Serb forces, the Jewish community helped theHardagas leave Sarajevo using fake Jewish identity cards and the Kabiljo family secured them refuge in Israel.
“Zejneba Hardaga is the first Muslim woman in the world whowas recognised as Righteous Among Nations,” said Eli Tauber fromthe Sarajevo Jewish community.
Tauber, who wrote a book about 54 Bosnians who were honouredas Righteous for saving Jews during the World War Two, said thatZejneba Hardaga also helped his grandparents to leave Sarajevoat that time.
“She gave my grandmother a veil and pantaloons to disguiseherself as a Muslim woman… and gave my grandfather the moneyto buy tickets and run away from Sarajevo,” he recalled.
Vajraca hopes the film will be inspirational to theaudiences with its message: “Do what you can, do a good deed nomatter what and in some way it may come back to you.”
