Mandlbaum's Mission

Documtary film using eye-witness testimonies to tell the story of the Jewish community of Mostar, the second largest city after Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the Holocaust years, 1941-1943, the importance of Mostar grew. This area of Herzegovina was occupied by the Italians and they did not harm the Jews. More than this, when Jewish refugees arrived from Fascist Croatia, the Italians turned a blind eye. Pressure from the Germans and the Croations to incarcerate the Jews were ignored by the Italian officials. In 1943 the Italian army evacuated the Jews of Mostar to the Adriatic shore. Thanks to them, many Jews survived. By the end of the war, 50 Jews remained in Mostar and most of these came to Israel.