For full article go to - https://tinyurl.com/y6pm8zan
It is Nazi-occupied
Sarajevo, 1941. A Muslim woman holds the hand of her Jewish friend. She
positions her veil to hide the Star of David on her Jewish friend's sleeve. A
Nazi patrol was approaching. It is a simple, brave act of kindness among
friends. But the story goes much deeper.
The Muslim woman is
named Zejneba Hardaga. Zejneba wasn’t just protecting her friend Rifka Kabilio
on the street - she gave refuge to Rifka, her husband Josef, and their children
in her home.
When the Jewish
family arrived, Zejneba said, “Whatever is ours will be yours. We’ll share
everything like family – feel as if you are in your own home."
Across the street
from the Hardaga house was the Gestapo headquarters and notices were posted
everywhere warning that anyone harboring Jews in their home would be killed.
But this Muslim family risked their lives to protect their Jewish friends.
The Kabilio family
found their way to Italy, but Josef was caught and imprisoned. He escaped and
ran to Zejneba’s home again, where he was given refuge once again. Josef
survived the war, and the entire Kabilio family immigrated to Israel.
Decades later, the
Jewish people would attempt to pay back this remarkable Muslim family. It was
during the Siege of Sarajevo. The city was under attack. Zejneba, her daughter
Aida, and her 10-year old grand-daughter were at great risk. An artillery shell
had landed in Aida’s home. They had to get out.
Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum, knew of the family’s bravery
during the War. Now, they did everything they could to rescue the family. They
even appealed to the President of Bosnia. And it worked! A convoy arranged by
Jewish aid agencies made it through the lines, and took the family to safety.
When Zejneba and her
daughter were asked where they wanted to relocate, they both knew where.
Israel, they said.
In 1994, Zejneba,
her daughter Aida, Aida's husband, and their child were welcomed to Israel. The
Kabilios -- the family they saved -- embraced them. The State of Israel had
paid back its debt — and helped the Hardagas in their own time of need.
Zejneba Hardaga died
within a year of arriving in Israel. but just before she passed Aida told her
mother that she wanted to become a Jew. "That turned out to be one of the
happiest days of my life. She just turned to me, smiled and said: "If you
want to do something, don't talk about it, do it." It was her way of
giving me her blessing."
Aida became Jewish
and changed her name to Sara. She now works at Yad Vashem, where she honors all
those who weren’t fortunate enough to have a friend like Zejneba.
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