camps.
Today, at age 87, Mladen lives in Jaffa close to his daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He is still mourning the loss of his wife, Butcha, child sweetheart from age 13, who passed away a number of years ago. Mladen is always appreciative of ATZUM’s visits and efforts, readily sharing his wonderful smile and great personality with us. ATZUM staff visited him recently, bringing cards written by participants of the United Synagogue Youth movement’s trip to Israel.
One of them reads:
“Thank you for everything you did to save Jews in the Holocaust. We hear all the time about Jews defying the Nazis, but we rarely hear about the stories of non-Jews. It’s great to hear about people like you because it proves there is plenty of goodness in the world, and it’s stories live yours that inspire younger generations, like ours, to defy the norm, go against badness in the world, and spread the message of goodness, unselfishness, and most importantly, Tikkun Olam”.
Picture: Mladen Ivanov in his home. The card is placed on the table to his right.
Yael Rosen
Project Coordinator, Righteous Among the Nations
