The Elazar family is an old Jewish family. The name is mentioned as far back as the Old Testament. The second book of the five books of Moses, Exodus, lists the children of Moses and Aharon. Elazar was the son of Moses' brother Aharon, from the tribe of Levi. Another renowned Elazar was Elazar ben Mattathias, the brother of Judah the Maccabee, leader of the Jewish uprising against Assyrian domination in 167 bc. This uprising is at the heart of the Hannukah celebration, which continues to this day. When Jerusalem fell into Roman hands in 73 a.d., a group of zealots led by Elazar Ben Yair took refuge in the fortress of Masada. The Romans responded by besieging the fortress. When the zealots realized that their defeat was near, Elazar Ben Yair ordered that all the zealots kill themselves rather than be killed. His famous words were:

"Let's die unconquered by our enemy and leave this world as free people."

About 1820, David was sent by the Turkish government to Sarajevo (first shortly to Belgrade), to be a "vazal" (some sort of ambassador or government worker). He left a wife and some kids in Kyustendil, and gave her a "get al tnai" (which said that if he doesn't return within a certain time, she is divorced and free to remarry). He then came to Sarajevo where he became a regular member of the Jewish community, that was eager to find him a spouse; for a man was not supposed to be single. They found him a young, 17 years old girl. They got married, and had four sons:

The family legend says that a son that was from David's first marriage in Bulgaria, followed the father to Sarajevo. He found the father's house but he wasn't there at the moment. His wife opened the door, and when she saw the young man tired from the long journey , (without knowing who he was), she invited him in, offering to wash his feet and prepare some dinner. In the meantime, she said, her husband will be back too. There is nothing known about the father's reaction on his arrival, but this story says that the son was very moved by the kindness of the father's wife, that he left Sarajevo as their good friend, although his purposes at the beginning were very different.

During the XIX and the beginning of XX century the different Balkan countries gained independence, and along with this, changed their ideas about the position of the Sephardim community in the Balkans. New borders hindered Jewish trade and normal communications between groups who were spread throughout the Empire. That resulted in a change in the economic stability of almost the entire community. Within the internal borders where nationalism was emphasized, the process of cultural and language assimilation was rapid. Although until the end of the XIX century there were some advantages (within the Austrian - Hungarian Empire which was multinational) the Sephardim community in Sarajevo in Bosnia could not escape assimilation. However, before World War I there were between 7,000-8,000 people who spoke Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) in Sarajevo. The Sephardim communities in Bosnia suffered a deadly blow when thousands died during the Holocaust. Of the few survivors many immigrated to Israel. Before the war in Bosnia, there were only a few dozen elderly people who spoke Judeo-Spanish (Ladino). With this last generation of speakers, this language will soon disappear.

Born about 1823-25 in Sarajevo, married to RAHELA ALTARAC

They had the following children*:

SALOMON to (1st) Simha (2nd) Erna

BLANKA to Salomon Atijas

Last updated on 04 June 2002

Realization, graphic & design: Sandra Elazar Russo, Italy

No copyright. For personal use only.