Jelena Radoièiæ was born in a village Jablanac, near Jasenovac concentration camp in 1934, in a family of Ana (born in 1912 in a nearby village Mlaka) and Bo?a Bhuhaè (born in 1912).The pair had four children, Jelena and her the three brothers: ?ivko (born in 1933), Dušan (born in 1938) and Ilija (born in 1942). When her family, together with all the Serbs from Jablanac escaped across Sava river to Bosnia, her brother Dušan stayed in Mlaka, with grandma Sofia and grandpa Ilija, because her mother had to take care of a newborn son and two older children. The villagers of Mlaka were expected to come to Bosnia soon.Jelena was too young to know why the entire villages had to escape. She learned lather that all the Serbs from Mlaka vilage ended in Jasenovac camp. The young and strong people were sent to Germany for forced labor.The elderly people and the children were killed immediately – among them were her grandma Sophia, grandpa Ilia and her brother Dusan. She also learned later that the same would happen to the rest of her family had they not escape in time. Even in Bosnia they faced the tragedy. German offensive on Kozara partisans in June-July 1942 sharply affected all the civilians in the area. Her father was captured and killed as Jasenovac concentration camp inmate. Jelena, her mother Ana, and her brothers ?ivko and Ilija ended in Stara Gradiska camp.There the children were separated from their mother.Ana was sent to forced work to Germany. The three children were saved from camp and transferred to Zagreb Deaf Institute. From there, Jelena and ?ivko weew sent to the village Slokovac where the two local families accepted them. What happened to their baby brother Ilija is a mistery. Jelena still hopes that he is alive, and she is still searching for him.
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Igor Krstic
Novi Knezevac,Srbija
[email protected]
Jelena Radoièiæ was born in a village Jablanac, near Jasenovac concentration camp in 1934, in a family of Ana (born in 1912 in a nearby village Mlaka) and Bo?a Bhuhaè (born in 1912).The pair had four children, Jelena and her the three brothers: ?ivko (born in 1933), Dušan (born in 1938) and Ilija (born in 1942). When her family, together with all the Serbs from Jablanac escaped across Sava river to Bosnia, her brother Dušan stayed in Mlaka, with grandma Sofia and grandpa Ilija, because her mother had to take care of a newborn son and two older children.
The villagers of Mlaka were expected to come to Bosnia soon.Jelena was too young to know why the entire villages had to escape.
She learned lather that all the Serbs from Mlaka vilage ended in Jasenovac camp. The young and strong people were sent to Germany for forced labor.The elderly people and the children were killed immediately – among them were her grandma Sophia, grandpa Ilia and her brother Dusan. She also learned later that the same would happen to the rest of her family had they not escape in time.
Even in Bosnia they faced the tragedy. German offensive on Kozara partisans in June-July 1942 sharply affected all the civilians in the area. Her father was captured and killed as Jasenovac concentration camp inmate.
Jelena, her mother Ana, and her brothers ?ivko and Ilija ended in Stara Gradiska camp.There the children were separated from their mother.Ana was sent to forced work to Germany. The three children were saved from camp and transferred to Zagreb Deaf Institute. From there, Jelena and ?ivko weew sent to the village Slokovac where the two local families accepted them. What happened to their baby brother Ilija is a mistery. Jelena still hopes that he is alive, and she is still searching for him.
sinisa radojcic
beograd srbija
[email protected]