Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.31337/oz.81.4.5
Humanity as a Testimony of Evangelical Love: The Ethical Action of Mother M. Amadeja Pavlović in Rescuing Jews during the Second World War
Marija Benić Penava
; Ekonomski fakultet Sveučilišta u Dubrovniku, Dubrovnik, Hrvatska
*
Zlata Živaković-Kerže
; Hrvatski institut za povijest, Osijek, Hrvatska
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Drawing on archival sources, relevant literature, and personal testimonies, this paper
explores the ethical role of Mother M. Amadeja Pavlović in rescuing Jews during the
period of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). The research focuses on the transition
from the successful social integration of Osijek’s Jewish community to its total
disenfranchisement and deportation, highlighting the case of the Bienenstock family.
The primary objective is to analyze Mother M. Amadeja’s humanitarian intervention
as a form of active resistance to dehumanization and as an authentic testimony
of evangelical love. Methodologically, the study employs an ethical–religious framework
to evaluate archival materials from the Croatian State Archives and the Archives
of the Jewish Community in Osijek, alongside the written testimony of Zdenka
Bienenstock. A central part of the paper is dedicated to the rescue of eleven–year–old
Zdenka, whom Mother M. Amadeja hid in the \akovo convent under a false identity
from 1941 to 1945, despite the grave risks posed by the German occupation of
parts of the premises. Furthermore, the paper examines her clandestine efforts to
assist pregnant women and newborns from the \akovo Assembly Camp by providing
medical care and facilitating their transfer to safety. The analysis concludes that
Mother M. Amadeja’s actions transcend mere historical facts, representing a triumph
of Christian ethics over systemic evil. Her spiritual profile, described by Archbishop
Stepinac as that of a mulier fortis, remains a universal model of moral responsibility.
Her courage was internationally recognized in 2008, when she was post–humously
awarded the title Righteous Among the Nations, serving as a lasting historical reminder
of individual conscience within religious life.
Keywords
Jews; Zdenka Bienenstock; Mother M. Amadeja; rescue of Jews; \akovo women’s Assembly Camp; Righteous Among the Nations
Hrčak ID:
349809
URI
Publication date:
1.10.2026.
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