Born: 1914 (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Died: 1984
Biography:
Roza Papo (1914–1984) was a Bosnian Jewish physician and general of the Yugoslav People’s Army. She was the first woman to rise to the rank of general on the Balkan Peninsula.
Early life:
Roza Papo was born on 6 February 1914 into a Sephardi Jewish family in Sarajevo. Her mother, Mirjama Papo (born Abinun), was the daughter of a rabbi from Gračanica. Roza Papo studied at the School of Medicine in Zagreb and worked as a physician in Sarajevo, Begov Han, and Olovo before the outbreak of the Second World War.
War service:
Following the invasion of Yugoslavia by Nazi Germany in 1941, Papo made contact with the Yugoslav Partisans in Ozren and started aiding them. Jews throughout Europe joined resistance movements in an attempt to survive, but Papo’s decision was also motivated by patriotism. She officially joined the Partisans in December 1941 and became a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia the following year.
During the war, Roza Papo contracted typhus and was slightly wounded in the face by an airplane bomb during a battle in Ozren in 1942. As an officer, she served directly under Josip Broz Tito, the leader of the Yugoslav resistance. Papo led the recruitment system and commanded the network of different Partisan field hospitals. She displayed immense courage during an air raid in 1942, refusing to take shelter and nearly losing an eye. Through her dedication and bravery, she reached the rank of captain in 1943 and was a major by 1945.
Post-war career:
The Partisans emerged victorious from the Second World War in 1945, but Papo’s parents and both siblings had been killed. Her mother and all four aunts were killed in concentration camps. Upon returning to Sarajevo, Papo initially lived in a hotel but soon moved to Belgrade to specialize in infectology.
Continuing her career as a physician in the army, Papo became the first head of the Military Medical Academy and formulated the first criteria for the selection of military physicians. She made significant contributions to the field of infectology, introducing new diagnostic methods such as liver biopsies and precise diagnosis of viral hepatitis, hyperbilirubinemia, tuberculosis, and purulent meningitis.
Throughout her career, Roza Papo published over 50 papers and became a professor at the academy in 1965. Recognized for her outstanding contributions, she received six medals, including the Commemorative Medal of the Partisans of 1941, the Order of Merits for the People, and the Order of Brotherhood and Unity. In 1973, she was promoted to the rank of major general. At that time, Yugoslavia had more Jewish generals than Israel, and Roza Papo became the first woman general.
Awards:
– Commemorative Medal of the Partisans of 1941
– Order of Merits for the People
– Order of Brotherhood and Unity