Jovanović Pero

Jovanović, Pero In the fall of 1941, many Jewish refugees found themselves stranded in Prizren, Kosovo, when their attempted flight to Albania was blocked. Among them were the Jewish couple, Eugen and Else Hochberg, their three-year-old daughter Miriam, and niece, Adela Georgenberger. Eugen, an engineer, became acquainted with Milan Jovanović, who offered to rent them a room in his home. The two families lived together and shared the household responsibilities. When German patrols approached the area, the Jovanovićes hid the Jews in different hiding places around their house. However, in a small town secrets were almost impossible to harbor, and they were denounced to the authorities. In early 1944, the Germans arrested the Hochberg couple and Adela, and deported them to a concentration camp. Miriam remained behind with the Jovanovićes. The Jovanovićes’ 17-year-old son Pero became Miriam’s closest friend. Miriam, fell ill with polio, and needed constant medical treatment. Pero took care of her for over a year, until she recovered. Every day, Pero carried Miriam in his arms for treatment at the hospital that was located at the other end of the city. When the war was over, the Hochberg couple returned to Prizren to fetch their daughter and to thank the Jovanovićes for their dedication in taking care of Miriam. Miriam Hochberg (later Werzberger) immigrated to Israel and established a family. She maintained contact with her wartime hosts. On September 8, 1993, Yad Vashem recognized Pero Jovanović as Righteous Among the Nations.