presenters
Eli and Mirjam Tauber
Dr. Eli Tauber is an author and historian who lives in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He began his career as a journalist for the Balkan paper Oslobodjenje but has since been employed by the Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law at the University of Sarajevo, and is the author of several books on the topic of Jewish history in Bosnia. His books, written in the Bosnian/Serbo/Croatian language, include: The Illustrated Lexicon of Judaism, History, Religion and Customs; When Neighbors were Real Human Beings; The Jewish Press in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Jewish Surnames in Bosnian Archives; The Holocaust in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and The Judeo Spanish Language in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the Bosnian War in the 1990s, Eli and Mirjam fled to Israel where they lived for 12 years. In 2004 they resumed living in their home in the heart of old Sarajevo.
As part of the Sarajevo450 Project, Eli will visit St. Louis, Missouri and through a series of community lectures and events share stories from over 450 years of Jewish and Muslim community in Bosnia. He will also share excerpts from his book When Neighbors were Real Human Beings, which documents the stories of those who saved Jewish lives (of whom many were Muslim) during World War II. The story of Eli's own mother, Estela, is included in the collection.
~
Mirjam Tauber is a Sarajevo-born artist and Sephardic cook. Mirjam worked as a teller at a bank until the beginning of the Siege of Sarajevo when she and her family fled to Israel. In the early 00s, after returning to Sarajevo, Mirjam began organizing a Night of Sephardic Cuisine. The annual event draws hundreds of people to Novi Hram, a former Jewish synagogue and now Museum in Sarajevo. In 2016 the event celebrated its tenth anniversary and Mirjam published a cookbook of Sephardic Bosnian Recipes.
As part of the Sarajevo450 Project, Eli will visit St. Louis, Missouri and through a series of community lectures and events share stories from over 450 years of Jewish and Muslim community in Bosnia. He will also share excerpts from his book When Neighbors were Real Human Beings, which documents the stories of those who saved Jewish lives (of whom many were Muslim) during World War II. The story of Eli's own mother, Estela, is included in the collection.
~
Mirjam Tauber is a Sarajevo-born artist and Sephardic cook. Mirjam worked as a teller at a bank until the beginning of the Siege of Sarajevo when she and her family fled to Israel. In the early 00s, after returning to Sarajevo, Mirjam began organizing a Night of Sephardic Cuisine. The annual event draws hundreds of people to Novi Hram, a former Jewish synagogue and now Museum in Sarajevo. In 2016 the event celebrated its tenth anniversary and Mirjam published a cookbook of Sephardic Bosnian Recipes.
Elsie Roth, rn - hadassah-bosnian project (1995)
Elsie Roth's father, Sergeant William Shemin, always told her to “give back more than you're was asked.” Shemin Roth has taken that advice to heart. Widowed at the age of 43 with five children, she went on to earn a degree in nursing at 54. In the 1990s, after seeing news coverage of The Bosnian War and Genocide on television, she devoted herself to organizing the St. Louis community - particularly the St. Louis Jewish and St. Louis Bosnian community to collect 50 tons of medical supplies, clothing, and aid that was delivered to Sarajevo in several shipments between 1993 and 1995. Elsie delivered the shipments herself to Sarajevo, which was under siege at the time, and worked with La Benevolencija to ensure the aid was given to the people of Sarajevo. At 87 years-old she helped her father receive the Medal of Honor in 2015 post-mortem for his service in WWI. In 2003, the Jewish Federation of St. Louis gave her its Woman of Valor Award.
|
Edem Dzunu - ex. dir. of baobab people
Dr. Edem Dzunu is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Baobab People, a grass roots organization committed to connecting cultures through dialogue and learning. He is a public speaker on issues of diversity and reconciliation. Dr. Dzunu also teaches English for Specific Purposes and Intercultural Communication in Academic Settings in the
English Language Programs at Washington University in Saint Louis. His strong desire for the understanding of different cultures has taken him to many different places in Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America both as an enquiring mind and a contributor to knowledge. As one who is passionate about traveling, what he cherishes most is the opportunity to meet and engage with people. |
stl event partners
Bais Abraham Congregation
Bosnian Islamic Center of St. Louis
Central Reform Congregation
Novella Wine Bar
St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center
Webster University Department of History, Politics, and International Relations
Bosnian Islamic Center of St. Louis
Central Reform Congregation
Novella Wine Bar
St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center
Webster University Department of History, Politics, and International Relations
music & art
Special thanks for Mensur Hatic and Djevada for their live performance of sevdah and to James Stone Goodman for his live performance of Ladino music and story at the Sarajevo Nights program at Novella Wine Bar on August 18, 2016.
safet begic - sarajevo artist
Conversations with Safet and his artwork (in his own words "manifestations of sevdah," which both Jewish and Muslim influences) were instrumental in the creation of The Sarajevo450 Project.
The artwork used on The Sarajevo450 Project website is the sole property of Safet Begic and may not be used without permission. |
organizer
Rebecca Nathanson - FOUNDER, Organizer
Rebecca Nathanson grew up in St. Louis, MO. In 2014, after completing graduate research about Bosnian social and economic mobility in St. Louis, a Fulbright took Rebecca to Sarajevo to teach English at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences. About halfway through the year, media coverage unfolded with traumatic events like Charlie Hebdo and the killing of American Muslim students at UNC - the classroom became a space for dialogue. Upon returning to the U.S., Rebecca started The Sarajevo450 Project with help from the Taubers, seeking to counter divisive narratives in media and which are often retold in our own communities .
|