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.
Novi Bečej, along with Vranjevo, was a prominent trading center during the era of the Great Kikinda District, particularly known for its grain export trade in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
A turning point for Zvezda, and perhaps for football in Novi Bečej in general, came in 1939. Players who had once been children had now matured into young, competent footballers, whose skills far surpassed those of Jedinstvo players. Most of these footballers had come up through the youth clubs Zvezda and Banat, where they systematically honed their football abilities without guidance from older players.
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.
Sara, not only as a teacher but also as a homemaker, was an exceptionally hardworking woman. I had the privilege of hearing this from my sister, who was one of her students in elementary school. Their home was always tidy, and the preserves Sara made were always top-quality. In this regard, she was a role model to many.
Altered economic conditions and the development of productive forces in agriculture are the main reasons for the disappearance of farmhouses. With the reduction of land ownership limits after World War II, first to 20, and then to 10 hectares, farmhouses lose their previous significance in production.
The Jewish community of Novi Bečej and Vranjevo had deep roots and played a significant role in the town’s economic, social, and cultural life between the two world wars.
They were merchants, doctors, craftsmen, clerks, and entrepreneurs — people who contributed to the growth of the community and whose homes and businesses were part of the daily life of Novi Bečej.
I begin to feel my homeland even on the road to Novi Bečej, right after leaving Kumane. On that road from Kumane to Novi Bečej—whether by train or bus—I start recalling everything that once existed there or what ties me to that path, from the time when my love for my homeland was most deeply growing.
Responsibility, ambition, and dedication marked the life and career of Dr. Milorad Drobac, Doctor of Economic Sciences.
He was born on February 11, 1948, in Bočar, where he completed elementary school as the top student of his class.
Tivadar Košut, a world-renowned naïve painter, was born in 1947 in Novi Bečej. He inherited his love for painting from his mother, who painted icons. Although his parents wanted him to become a carpenter or a ceramicist, art ultimately became his true calling.
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.
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.
Since we do not have direct and reliable data on when and how the Jewish communities in Novi Bečej and Vranjevo were formed, we will use data from municipal registers of these municipalities for the period from 1895 to 1941, as well as from school registers of primary schools for the period from 1888 to 1941.
In his manuscript “The Great Swimming Day,” Branislav Kiselički writes about the start of the competition on August 29, 1943:
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.
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.
Between 1945 and 1963, two Water Management Organizations covered the area of the municipality: the Upper Banat Water Organization, with its headquarters in Kikinda, north of Novi Bečej, and the Tisa Water Organization, based in Zrenjanin, south of Novi Bečej. Thus, two water communities existed:
May 24–25, 1998
Invitational Composers’ Competition
After the first invitational composers’ competition on the theme Bread, Grain, Harvest, which resulted in 14 new solo songs, the organizers of this year’s Days of Josif Marinković decided that the new theme would be Hilandar, as 1998 marked the 800th anniversary of this Serbian sanctuary.
I will not delve into a historical account of the development of education in Novi Bečej and Vranjevo, as I have already provided such a description in my book “Novi Bečej and Vranjevo Through History”. Instead, I would like to highlight a turbulent and almost revolutionary period in the school history of Novi Bečej between the 1920s and 1930s.
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.
May 14–15, 1993
After months of preparation and searching for the right concept and content, the first Days of Josif Marinković – “Horizons on the Tisa” were held on May 14 and 15, 1993, at the Workers’ Hall “Jovan Veselinov Žarko” in Novi Bečej.
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.
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:
The only prominent Jew from Novi Bečej who was not arrested at the time was Dr. Dezider Kanic, a lawyer. He made direct contact with the military commander of the town and, proving that he had served as a German "Uhlan" officer, managed to obtain permission to move to Hungary (see the testimony of Dr. Viktor Jordanić).
When my article titled “Kumane” appeared in the Yugoslav Daily on August 2, 1931 (issue no. 202), my parishioners received it with great enthusiasm. It was read aloud in gatherings and on street corners before groups of listeners. Soon, many expressed the wish that it be printed as a small booklet and distributed among the people of my parish.
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.
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.
The afternoon session of the competition brought a series of exciting races that delighted the audience at the Novi Bečej pool. The greatest interest was sparked by the women’s events, where competitors showed remarkable determination and sporting spirit.
I remember certain streets, their dusty roads in the summer and worn-out, brick-paved sidewalks, or if I think about autumn, then muddy roads and ditches full of water, so in some parts, the entire street was covered with water. I can't imagine such a street without the noise of geese, bathing and chasing each other in the water, breaking the monotony of an otherwise very quiet street.
May 31 – June 3, 2000
Open Solo Singing Competition
What could not take place in 1999 due to the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia — the Open Solo Singing Competition — was successfully held one year later, at the 8th “Horizons on the Tisa,” from May 31 to June 3, 2000.
