Staging Proto-Zionism. Jewish Quarter of Zemun, Serbia: Historical Evidence, Structure, Meaning

arts Article Staging Proto-Zionism. Jewish Quarter of Zemun, Serbia: Historical Evidence, Structure, Meaning Cedomilaˇ Marinković Rimon Center for the Research and the Promotion of Jewish Heritage, 11080 Zemun, Serbia; [email protected] Received: 18 January 2020; Accepted: 11 February 2020; Published: 25 February 2020 Abstract: Zemun is an old Central European town on the right bank of the Danube River, today one of the boroughs of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. There has been a small Jewish community in Zemun dating back to the mid-18th century. Some of the Jews who lived in Zemun in the 19th century contributed to the emergence of Zionism. This paper presents new archival information about Zemun’s Jewish quarter including an analysis of the Zemun synagogue as well as various hermeneutic explanations of its urban and architectural development. Previous analyses of this area of Zemun have focused on external and morphological characteristics of its religious architecture but failed to explain its conceptual, historical, socio-political and religious context. This paper will cover these new elements as well as establish a basis for understanding this part of the old urban core of Zemun in relation to the significant personalities who lived there and the important ideas they developed. Keywords: Zemun; Zemun Jewish quarter; Zemun synagogue; Rabbi Yehudah Alkalay; proto-Zionism; Theodor Herzl 1. Introduction Zemun (Srb. Zemun, Hun. Zimony, Ger. Semlin) is an old Central European town on the right bank of the Danube River, today one of the boroughs of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Due to its strategic location adjacent to the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and as it is at the crossroads between Central Europe and the Balkans, it has had a turbulent history. Many armies conquered it including the Avars, Byzantines, Bulgarians and the Crusaders. At the beginning of the 9th century, it was even a part of Charlemagne Carolingian’s Empire. In the Roman times, Zemun was known as Taurunum, but by the mid-9th century, Slavs moved in and bestowed it with the name Zemun which it has maintained until the present time. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, Zemun was controlled by the Hungarians and when Belgrade came under Turkish control in 1521, so did Zemun. It remained under the Turks for almost 200 years until 1717 and the signing of the Treaty of Belgrade in 1739, which defined the Sava and Danube as the border between the Ottoman and Habsburg Empires. In 1746, Zemun became part of the Military Frontier (Militärgrenze) of the Habsburg Empire and three years later, the Military Commune (Militär Communität). Zemun remained part of the Habsburg (later Austro-Hungarian) Empire until its dissolution in 1918. Economically, whenever the Sava and Danube formed its border, Zemun progressed as a border town and trading center. At the end of the 18th century, Zemun was equidistance from Vienna and Istanbul—the capitals of the two rival empires, in the vicinity of the rich and fertile Pannonian plains, as well as in the middle of the vast network of river and land traffic that connected Central Europe Arts 2020, 9, 27; doi:10.3390/arts9010027 www.mdpi.com/journal/arts Arts 2020, 9, 27 2 of 18 Arts 2020, 9, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 18 1 withwith thethe BalkansBalkans andand further further east. east.1Since Since it it was was a a border border town, town, a quarantinea quarantine station station was was established established in itin in it 1730.in 1730. In additionIn addition to sanitaryto sanitary benefits benefits i.e., i.e., in preventing in preventing the the spread spread of infectious of infectious diseases diseases like like the plaguethe plague from from Turkey, Turkey, the quarantine the quarantine was also was an also important an important trading centertrading and center an initiator and an of initiator economic of 2 developmenteconomic development for Zemun. forThanks Zemun. to2 trading,Thanks to Zemun trading, became Zemun a multiethnic became a multiethnic place where, place besides where, the Serbianbesides majority,the Serbian Aromanians, majority, Aromanians, Greeks, Czechs Greeks, and GermansCzechs and lived Germans and enjoyed lived and equality. enjoyed equality. JewsJews movedmoved toto ZemunZemun afterafter thethe AustrianAustrian retreatretreat fromfrom BelgradeBelgrade andand SerbiaSerbia inin 1739,1739, whenwhen afterafter moremore thanthan 5050 yearsyears ofof Austro-TurkishAustro-Turkish wars,wars, thethe borderborder waswas establishedestablished alongalong thethe SavaSava andand DanubeDanube rivers.rivers. Around 1742, there were fivefive to eighteight Jewish families living in Zemun ((GavriloviGavrilovićć 19891989,, p. 78). 78). DuringDuring thethe nextnext decade, thethe number ofof Jewish families increased. Jews were later granted permission toto settlesettle inin ZemunZemun through through Maria Maria Theresa’s Theresa’s special special decree decree of of October October 23rd 23rd 1753 1753 (Gavrilović (Gavrilovi 1989ć 1989,, p. 79). p. However,79). However, that that privilege privilege was was granted granted to only to only 19 families, 19 families, with with the strictthe strict prohibition prohibition of expanding of expanding the 3 numberthe number of families. of families.That3 That prohibition prohibition proved proved to be to thebe the main main obstacle obstacle to theto the further further development development of bothof both the the Zemun Zemun Jewish Jewish community community and and the the Zemun Zemun Jewish Jewish Quarter Quarter all theall the way way until until 1867. 1867. TheThe mostmost importantimportant sources sources of of Zemun’s Zemun’s early early urbanism urbanism are are maps maps preserved preserved in thein the collection collection of the of localthe local museum museum in Zemun in Zemun and theand ones the ones housed housed at the at Vienna the Vienna War Archives War Archives (Dabižić (Dabiži 2014,ć p. 2014, 127). p. These 127). cartographicThese cartographic sources sources prove thatprove Zemun’s that Zemun’s urban development urban development was very rapid.was very From rapid. an abandoned From an villageabandoned sold village by Counts sold ofby Schönborn Counts of Schönborn in the 4th decadein the 4th of decade the 18th of century,the 18th tocentury, the completely to the completely formed andformed defined and defined town that town was, that according was, according to some to 19th some century 19th century accounts, accounts, “the most “the beautiful most beautiful and richest and townrichest within town thewithin Military the Military Frontier,” Frontier less than,” less 50 than years 50has years passed has passed (Dabižić (Dabiži 1967,ć p.1967, 8). p. 8). Basic outlinesoutlines of urban Zemun that will definedefine its future development, according to Klotz’s city planplan (Figure(Figure1 )1) appeared appeared 15 15 years years after after the the Belgrade Belgrade Treaty Treaty (1739). (1739). At At that that time, time, Zemun Zemun was was formed formed as aas relatively a relatively regular regular square square at the at footthe foot of a of sand a sa hill,nd hill, present present day Gardoš,day Gardoš, parallel parallel to the to Danube the Danube flow andflow fenced and fenced off with off palisades.with palisades. Figure 1.1. Johan Michael Klotz’s plan of the City of Zemun, 1754.1754. 11 ZemunZemun was was the the center center of a of large a large andmultifaceted and multifaceted trade: goods trade: from goods Italy from and GermanyItaly and arrived Germany by the arrived Sava River by the and Sava from Hungary,River and France from and Hungary, England byFrance the Danube and England River; Dutch by the goods Danube came by River; land (DutchŠkalamera goods 1966 came, p. 14. by Dabižić land 2014(Škalamera, p. 133). 2 The word used in archive documents for Zemun’s quarantine is Kontumaz. 3 IAB,1966, ZM, p. 14. Rathausprotocoll Dabižić 2014, 22-1756. p. 133). According to archival documents at the Zemun Magistrate (where the names of Jews 2 whoThe settledword used there arein archive listed), all documents of them moved for Zemun’s to Zemun fromquarantine Belgrade isin Kontumaz. 1739. There were four Jews of “Turkish“ decent 3 andIAB, 15 ZM, Ashkenazi Rathausprotocoll families. See (22-1756.Celap´ 1958–59 According, p. 60). to archival documents at the Zemun Magistrate (where the names of Jews who settled there are listed), all of them moved to Zemun from Belgrade in 1739. There were four Jews of “Turkish“ decent and 15 Ashkenazi families. See (Ćelap 1958–59, p. 60). ArtsArts 20202020,, 99,, 27x FOR PEER REVIEW 33 of of 18 2. Jewish Quarter of Zemun 2. Jewish Quarter of Zemun The part of the old Zemun core we are interested in was situated along the south-west border of the townThe partand ofwas the already old Zemun urbanistically core we are defined interested around in was 1740. situated From alongthat time the south-weston, it only borderspread ofslightly the town westward. and was Generally, already urbanistically the quarter was defined outlined around by Main 1740. Street From to that the time east, on, Bežanijska it only spread Street slightlyto the north westward. and the Generally, Kontumaz the area quarter to the was south. outlined by Main Street to the east, Bežanijska Street to the northWhile and there the was Kontumaz never a areaformal to theghetto south. in Zemun, in the early stages of the town’s development, JewsWhile were ordered there was to never“be secluded a formal from ghetto Christ in Zemun,ians”, forbidden in the early “to stageslive on of Main the town’sStreet,” development, (Ćelap 1958– ´ Jews59, p. were 62), orderedrequired to to “be stay secluded “in their from mahallah”(quarter Christians”, forbidden in Turkish) “to live4 as on well Main as Street” to live (Celapfar away 1958–59 from, 4 p.churches.

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