Dr. Ognjen Kraus (born 4 October 1945) is a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n physician, president of the

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish community

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

and the coordinator of the Jewish communities in Croatia.

Family and early life

Ognjen Kraus was born in

to Jewish parents, Ivo and Herma ( née Delpin) Kraus. He has a twin sister Živa, who is a prominent painter. Kraus family moved to Croatia from

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The m ...

and

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

during Austro-Hungarian Empire. His paternal grandfather parents, Ignacs and Berta ( née Herrnheiser) Krausz lived in

Daruvar Daruvar ( cz, Daruvar, german: Daruwar, hu, Daruvár, sr, Дарувар, la, Aquae Balissae) is a spa town and municipality in Slavonia, northeastern Croatia with a population of 8,567. The area including the surrounding villages (Dar. Vino ...

where his grandfather Josip was born. Kraus grandmother Ruža was born in

Bjelovar Bjelovar ( hu, Belovár, german: Bellowar, Kajkavian: ''Belovar'') is a city in central Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Bjelovar-Bilogora County. At the 2021 census, there were 36,433 inhabitants, of whom 93.06% were Croats. Histor ...

where she lived with her parents, Samuel and Nanete ( née Löwy) Schwarz. 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

his father and grandmother escaped the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

and

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionary Move ...

persecutions through Rijeka from where they went to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. In Italy, his father ended up in the concentration camp and after the

capitulation of Italy The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Briga ...

he moved to Switzerland. 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 The Zagreb Synagogue ( hr, Zagrebačka sinagoga) was the main place of worship for the Jews, Jewish community of Zagreb in modern-day Croatia. It was constructed in 1867 in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia within the Austrian Empire, and was used u ...

which was destroyed by the Ustaše 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.

Education and career

Kraus studied medicine at the

School of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

of the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

. After graduation, he went to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

and

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

to gain additional training. He eventually specialized in

urology Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and '' -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive org ...

. When he returned to Zagreb, he got a job at the Sisters of Charity Hospital where he serves as the head of the urology department. He received the award from the city of Zagreb in 2001 as a physician and humanist for his scientific and professional work. Kraus became the president of the Jewish community of Zagreb in 1993 after

Nenad Porges Nenad Porges (born 27 December 1946 in Zagreb, Croatia) is a Croatian politician, businessman, entrepreneur and former Minister of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship. Background and education Porges was born in Zagreb to a Jewish family who ca ...

withdrew from the position.

Personal life

In 1978, Kraus married Sanja ( née Milković) Kraus. Kraus has a stepson Saša, and a son Jaša. Saša lived in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

for seven years and has served in the Israel Defense Forces. He now lives in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

with his family. Kraus's younger son Jaša is a lawyer. Kraus is a secular Jew.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kraus, Ognjen 1945 births Living people Physicians from Zagreb Croatian Jews Croatian people of Czech-Jewish descent School of Medicine, University of Zagreb alumni Croatian urologists Jewish physicians

Family and early life

Education and career

Personal life

See also

References