Ferenc Gomba, affectionately known by his friends and teammates as Feri or Frici, was the complete opposite in temperament to his older brother Laci. Quick, lively, and passionate, he stood out as a left winger for DMKS Turul from the very start of the 1941/42 season.
Irrigation is one of the most important functions of the primary canal network, as it enables the distribution of water from the Tisa River into the central parts of Banat. According to project plans, the primary canal network should supply water for the irrigation of approximately 300,000 hectares in Banat. The intake of Tisa water in this region is carried out by gravity.
All of us from Novi Bečej are well acquainted with the beautiful two-story building with an Einfort (arched passage) entrance on the main street, located between the Miloje Čiplić Elementary School and the Sakač family house. Today, on the ground floor of this building, to the left of the entrance, there is a commercial space (formerly the Trocadero café), while on the right is the headquarters of the Tourist Organization of the Municipality of Novi Bečej.
He was, heart and soul, bound to Vojvodina. However, those who ingratiated themselves with politicians, receiving authority and promotion to influence the cultural development of the province, saw his dedication as intrusive.
Dragiša Bunjevački, a painter from Novi Bečej and the founder of the group “Selo,” was born in 1925 in Pančevo.
He was an artist who lived to paint, but never lived from painting nor painted merely to survive.
Drainage enables the reception of all excess water from the catchment area—either by gravity (free fall) or artificially using pumps—and evacuates it further into the main receivers: the Tisa and the Danube rivers.
In Novi Bečej, even before the establishment of the Yugoslav Bowling Federation in Belgrade, there was already a very active bowling section. There is no written record of when the bowling section was originally formed, but based on documentation preserved and made available by the well-known collector from Novi Bečej, Andre Karolj, it is evident that since 1948, within the Unified Physical Culture Society “Zvezda,” in Vološinovo (the post-war name for Novi Bečej), alongside football, basketball, table tennis, swimming, and chess sections, there was also a very active bowling section.
Drinking in front of stores in Serbia is not just a custom – it’s an institution! It dates back to the first store and the first bottle of rakija – essentially, since the dawn of time. Even the old craftsmen in the Ottoman period would take a “merak break,” drinking in front of shops while debating if it would rain.
The general characteristic of this era was the strong development of industrialization, modernization of transportation, with a marked preference for railroads. Novi Bečej, in such conditions, had nothing to offer. In fact, it lost its previous advantage, and this was the cause of its increasing lag behind Veliki Bečkerek and Velika Kikinda, which gained new momentum.
May 29–30, 1997
In the last days of May 1997, the small town on the left bank of the Tisa River once again came alive with the spirit of the Days of Josif Marinković.
It is difficult to say how long the rivalry between Zvezda and Banat might have lasted had Banat not been reinforced as early as mid-1936 by former players of Jedinstvo, who were significantly older and physically stronger. Under such circumstances, Zvezda, with its predominantly youthful team, was no longer able to compete on equal terms. The first match played between the two clubs after these changes took place on April 9, 1936, and ended with a 4–2 victory for Banat.
The children’s football clubs Zvezda and Banat in Novi Bečej effectively existed as early as 1932, rather than 1931 as later stated on Zvezda’s official memorandum. It should also be noted that during its first two years, Banat competed under the name Orao.
Vilmoš Kujan, born in Novi Bečej, moved to Novi Sad as a boy to learn a trade, where he stayed until 1942. During his time in Novi Sad, he played football, which made him one of the top players in Novi Bečej upon his return. In DMKS Turul, during the early war years, he quickly established himself as one of the team’s most important first-team players, alongside István Berta.
"The Formation, Development, and Destruction of the Jewish Community in Novi Bečej" is the title of an extensive work created through the years of effort by Branislav-Bata Kiselički. As he explains in the introductory notes, the author approached this monumental task due to his sense of duty and obligation to his Jewish friends from his youth, and later to their fellow countrymen who lived in Novi Bečej in the near and distant past.
After drainage, water supply has taken the most significant place. Future water consumption from the Basic Canal Network (OKM) and the spatial distribution of water demand have been considered. The characteristics of the OKM's water intake points on the Danube and Tisa Rivers have been studied, with attention to technical reliability and cost-effectiveness of water supply.
Fifty years ago, Novi Bečej was the site of one of the terrible crimes of World War II. After five months of imprisonment, the Jewish community, which had existed in our town for more than one hundred and fifty years, disappeared in a single day and forever. Generations after the war could neither learn about nor experience the presence of these people, who were extremely important for the economic and cultural development of our community.
In the northern Banat region, which includes the municipality of Novi Bečej, an organizational unit has existed since 1973 under the Water Management Organization “Gornji Banat” in Kikinda, addressing issues related to the Core Canal Network (CCN).
Following the notorious Obznana decree, the work of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) in Kuman was banned, and the Serbian Workers’ Party of Yugoslavia (SPRJ) was dissolved. With the introduction of the State Protection Act, prominent KPJ members faced extremely difficult times. Ljubomir Čolić, the secretary of the local party organization, died at a very young age after imprisonment due to torture and mistreatment.
The word salaš is of Hungarian origin (szállás) and has been in use since the 13th century. Even today, numerous settlements in Hungary bear the suffix -szállás in their names, such as Kisújszállás, Jakabszállás, Kunszállás, Fülöpszállás, Szabadszállás, and others.
The Kikinda Canal stretches from its confluence with the Main Canal to its junction with the Zlatica River near Sajan, with a total length of 50.34 km. Its primary function is to collect the Zlatica’s internal waters during periods when the sluice gate at Padej is closed, as well as its own internal waters along the route, and discharge them into the Main Canal.
The way of life in Banat and Bačka differed under Ottoman rule and after their expulsion, up until the late 18th century. People initially lived in small settlements, but with colonization and land distribution, successful farming created the necessity for farmsteads (salaši).
We have no data on how the social life of Jews in Novi Bečej and Vranjevo was organized. However, there remains a general impression among those who remembered that time that the main strength that united them was their religious community, which followed the development of the community and sought to organize assistance whenever a family faced difficulties.
At the same time, from the synagogue in Novi Bečej, young Jewish anti-fascists were deported to a special prison near the District Court in Veliki Bečkerek. Among them were Đerđ “Đurika” Šlezinger, Herman Bergl, Ištvan “Pišta” Šlezinger, and Margita “Dunda” Huven. They never returned—on July 31, 1941, they were executed as part of the first large group of 90 hostages from across Banat.
In the early 1960s, canal excavation works began in this area, followed by the construction of significant water management structures. The completion of the dam on the Tisa River in 1977 marked the final phase of these activities. All completed infrastructure was taken over by the Water Management Organization "Gornji Banat," and as the systems gradually became operational, dedicated operational sections were established.
In 1995, Novi Bečej thrived despite economic challenges. The town, closely tied to the Tisa River, saw growth in education, culture, tourism, and community initiatives.
The new government of the Kingdom of SHS brought significant social changes, but the foundation of economic development remained the same. Jews, whose lives were mostly tied to the economy, adapted quickly to the new order. Although the vast majority considered Hungarian their mother tongue and almost felt like Hungarians, they did not find it necessary to change their environment.
The two-story building of the former Tursko-Bečejska Savings Bank is located at 3 Marshal Tito Street, extending from the Schlesinger Palace, at the corner with Gimnazijska Street. According to documentation from the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Zrenjanin, written by art historian Vesna Majstorović, the following details about the building are known:
Hajnalka Zerebelji is the first female lawyer in Novi Bečej. After several decades of professional work, she has gained extensive experience, which she gladly shares with younger colleagues.
On August 2, 1921, the Assembly adopted the Law on the Protection of Public Security and Order in the State, tightening measures against communists. This law prescribed harsh punishments for any communist activity, including the death penalty.
The most difficult year for Jedinstvo was 1933. After a generational change at the end of 1932, the club faced a weakened playing squad, while the pitch itself remained flooded until mid-June. Training sessions that schoolteacher Sava Mojić had begun regularly in the autumn of 1932 and resumed in March 1933 were interrupted as early as mid-April due to the flooded ground.
