Stamps Albums

       Gideon (Bella) Groff.

Bella was born in a small town called Bugojno, which is in the center of Bosnia, Yugoslavia. A town located in a valley surrounded by mountains and forests. It is at the crossroads between Sarajevo, Mostar and Split. His father Rudolph was the owner of the local hotel, the local department store, "Pivo-Sarajevo" beer producers and an exporter of wood for the production of cellulose for the "Fiat" factory in Italy. A wealthy Jewish family out of eight Jewish families, among Catholic Christians and Muslims. On April 6, 1941, the Germans and their Italian, Hungarian, and Bulgarian allies invaded Yugoslavia. The Croats declared, with the agreement of the Germans and Italians, the state of "Independent Croatia" – NDH.

His father, who was loyal to Croatia, hung the flags of "Independent Croatia" on the department store and the hotel. The representatives of the new government demanded that he, as a Jew, remove the flags.

In July, Rudolf was approached by an Italian officer, who knew of the impending danger and suggested that he and his family leave with him and his unit and join them on their way to Split. Rudolph refused because he did not feel in danger. A few days after their departure, the Jews, children and older people were required to do forced labor which mainly included cleaning public places, while being humiliated and abused by the residents. (About a year after his death, Gideon was recognized as a "forced worker" by the Nazis). Then the

 Ustaše (Croatian fascist extremists) raided the Jewish homes, crammed all the family members into one room, while looting the other rooms of the house. At the same time, they raided the Serbian villages and exterminated their inhabitants, the Orthodox Christians. Rudolph stayed with his family because he was still convinced that nothing would happen to them.                               
From Gideon's testimony to "Yad Vashem"