Ognjen Kraus
| Doctor Ognjen Kraus | |
|---|---|
| Born |
4 October 1945 Zagreb SFR Yugoslavia, (now Croatia) |
| Nationality | Croat |
| Alma mater | University of Zagreb |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Spouse(s) | Sanja Kraus |
| Relatives |
Živa Kraus (twin sister) |
Dr. Ognjen Kraus (born 4 November 1945, in Zagreb) is Croatian physician, president of the Jewish community Zagreb and the coordinator of the Jewish communities in Croatia.[1]
Family and early life
Kraus was born in Zagreb to a Jewish family, father Ivo Kraus and mother Herma (née Delpin). His twin sister, Živa Kraus, is prominent Croatian painter. Kraus family moved to Croatia from Moravia and Czech Republic during Austro-Hungarian Empire. His paternal grandfather parents, Ignacs Krausz and Berta (née Herrnheiser), lived in Daruvar where his grandfather Josip was born. Kraus grandmother Ruža was born in Bjelovar where she lived with her parents, Samuel Schwarz and Nanete (née Löwy). His grandfather moved to Zagreb in 1906, where he was the secretary of the Croatian insurance company Merkur. Under his leadership community house Merkur was built in Zagreb. Kraus grandfather was among the initiators of the Merkur sanatorium building, which was opened in 1928. In 1918 his grandmother established the Zagreb cinema theater Urania. His grandfather died in Zagreb in 1934. During World War II his father and grandmother escaped the Nazi and Ustaše persecutions through Rijeka to Italy. In Italy his father ended up in the concentration camp and after the capitulation of Italy he moved to Switzerland.[2] Kraus grandmother died in Switzerland in 1943, just as she was given a visa for the free countries. After the war Kraus father returned to Zagreb and saved the few remains of the Zagreb Synagogue, destroyed by the fascist authorities in 1941. He dug through the remains of the destroyed synagogue and found the capital column from the synagogue lobby, which is now preserved and kept at the Jewish community of Zagreb.[3]
Education and career
Kraus studied medicine at the School of Medicine, at the University of Zagreb. After graduation he went to London, Paris, Hradec Králové and Budapest to update his medicine skills. When he returned to Zagreb, Kraus got a job at the Sisters of Charity Hospital where he is now the head of the urology department. For his work, particularly with patients, he received the award from the city of Zagreb in 2001 as a physician and humanist.[3] Kraus became the president of the Jewish community of Zagreb in 1993, when Nenad Porges withdrew from the position.[2]
Personal life
In 1978, Kraus married Sanja (née Milković) Kraus. Kraus has stepson Saša and son Jaša. His stepson, Saša, lived in Israel for seven years and has served in the IDF. He now lives in Canada with his family. His younger son, Jaša, is an attorney at law. Kraus considers himself and his family to be secular Jews.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ (Croatian) "Ustanove i institucije - Židovske općine i institucije". Židovska općina Zagreb. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 (Croatian) Cvitić, Plamenko (2006-04-03). "Ognjen Kraus - život dan medicini i židovskoj tradiciji" [Ognjen Kraus - life dedicated to medicine and jewish tradition]. Nacional. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bajruši, Robert; Biluš, Marina; Zahtila, Viktor (15 February 2005). "Židovi koji su izgradili moderni Zagreb" [Jews who built modern Zagreb] (in Croatian) (483). Nacional. Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2012.