Petar Zanković
Born1 April 1924
Died17 June 2002(2002-06-17) (aged 78)
NationalitySocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Montenegro

Petar Zanković was a person from Montenegro who helped shelter three Jewish families throughout World War II. In 2007, he was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Israel.[1]

World War II

During World War II, the Richter family fled from Zagreb to Belgrade during the Invasion of Yugoslavia. When the Germans and their allies fully took control of the country, Milan Richter took his son, Marjan, to Petar Zanković's home in Italian-controlled Sutomore, Montenegro. Milan had served in World War I with Petar's father, and the families had remained in contact over the years. A bit later the rest of the family made the journey to the Zanković home. The Richters did not want to put the other family at risk, so they moved into a hotel in the town of Bar, Montenegro along with other Jewish refugees from Belgrade.

The Ritchers became involved with rebels and during an offensive launched by partisans, Milan Richter was captured and sent to a concentration camp in Klos, Albania. Petar Zanković enlisted the help of a bishop named Dobričić to get Milan released and after securing it, the Ritchers moved back in with the Zankovićs. The family stayed there until 1943. In September of that year, Germany took control of territories previously occupied by Italy. In response Petar moved the family to a monastery in Bar temporally, before taking them to the village of Livari. In February 1944, the Nazis found their address and they were sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Despite this, the family of five survived until the end of the war.[2]

Post World War II

Adele Richter later went to visit the Zankovićs to thank them for helping them throughout the war. While there she learned that the Zankovićs had sheltered two other families besides them, which led to their arrests and various punishments. In December 2006, he was recognized as Righteous Among Nations by Yad Vashem.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ "Israel Honors Serbians who saved Jews during WWII". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 30 October 2007.
  2. 1 2 "The Righteous Among the Nations Database". The Righteous Among the Nations Database. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  3. ↑ "Israel honors Serbia's "righteous among nations"". B92.net. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
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