Jews of Dubrovnik / Ragusa
Ragusa, modern Dubrovnik, has a significant Sephardic history. It was a transit point for Spanish and Italian Jews entering the Ottoman Empire, and was an important trading centre in its own right. The Jewish history of Dubrovnik is under-studied, partly as a consequence of the mass murder of Yugoslav Jews in the Second World War.
Jews in the Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa was a maritime republic centred on the Adriatic port of Dubrovnik, today part of Croatia’s Dalmatian coast. It had formerly been ruled by Venice. It was Catholic but, for much of the period, it was under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. This gave it protection from its powerful rival, Venice, as well as tax breaks and special trading rights in the Black Sea. It appears that trade between the Duchy of Tuscany and the Ottoman Empire passed through Ragusa. Between 1530 and 1540 Ragusa supplanted Venice in the Ottoman trade. In 1563 Ragusa established a colony at Gandaulim near Goa in India.
Notable Events and Figures in Jewish Ragusa
- 1501: Ragusa became a primary route for Jewish refugees.
- 1553: Dona Gracia de Nasi, a leading Jewish figure, docked at Ragusa with her galleys.
- 1570: Jews faced suspicion when Cyprus was lost to the Turks.
- 1622: A Christian girl’s murder led to accusations against the Jewish community.
- 1667: A major earthquake struck Ragusa.
In 1844, Sir John Gardner Wilkinson reported Spanish-speaking Jews in Ragusa and Split, remnants of the former population, including both Portuguese and Ladino speakers.
Researching Sephardic Jews in Dubrovnik
- The National Archives in Dubrovnik (Državni arhiv u Dubrovniku)
- Research and Documentation Center JAS hold valuable records. Visit their page, State Archive in Dubrovnik (DADU) & Jewish Content.
- Jewish Community of Ragusa (Dubrovnik), US Holocaust Memorial Museum
Key publications include:
- Jews in the Fonds of the State Archives in Dubrovnik (13th Century – 1814) by Vesna Miović
- The Jews of Dubrovnik and The Jewish ghetto in the Dubrovnik Republic (1546-1808) by Vesna Miović
- Jevreji u Dubrovniku do polovine XVII veka, (Jews in Dubrovnik until the middle of the 17th century) by M. Pantić, M. (1971)
- Jevreji u Dubrovniku do polovine XVII stoljeća, (Jews in Dubrovnik until the middle of the 17th century) by J. Tadic (1937)
- Judenspanisches aus Salonikki: mit einem Anhange: Judenspanisches aus Ragusa, by Julius Subak (1906)
- Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the Mediterranean World After 1492 edited by A Meyuhas Ginio
This book reveals that late 16th-century Jews in Ragusa shared surnames with Jews in Venice, Ancona, and Sofia, indicating family trading networks. Names include:
- Semuel Maestro
- Aron Coen
- Daniel Campos
- Israel
- Josef and Samuel Franco
- Abraham Ferro
- Salamum Luzena
- Isaach Naamias
- Rafael Penso
- Salomon Leui
- Issach Lima
- Abram Pardo
- Jacob Abenun
- Salamon Oef
- Mose Pappo
- Abram Atias
- Joseph Baruh
Jewish Cemeteries in Dubrovnik
Jewish cemeteries in Dubrovnik are another source of genealogical information
Videos about the Jews of Dubrovnik
Here are some videos showcasing the Dubrovnik synagogue:
- Dubrovnik Synagogue
- Dubrovnik Synagogue (in French)
Sephardic Jews of Split
For information on the Jewish cemetery in Split, refer to the booklet:
- “Zidovsko Groblje u Splitu 1573-1973” by Zusja Efron and Dusko Keckemet (Jewish Community of Split, 1973)
Additional Resources on the Jews of Split
Other Sources
- Jewish Heritage Europe
- List of Jewish Communities in Croatia
- See also the sections of other countries of Sephardim in countries of former Yugoslavia: Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo.