• Lands of the Former Yugoslavia
    2009 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

    • ASSEMBLED IN UNITY IN GERMANY

      Although our brothers in Yugoslavia were not as isolated as were those in other Communist countries, they were few and longed to experience the love of the worldwide brotherhood. Thus, when they learned that the “Peace on Earth” International Assembly was planned for 1969, they sought permission from the government to leave the country to attend. Imagine their delight when permission was granted!

      The assembly was held at the large stadium in Nuremberg, Germany, where Hitler, who had threatened to exterminate Jehovah’s Witnesses, had paraded his troops just a few decades earlier. The program was presented in many languages, and the Yugoslav delegates were thrilled to learn that sessions in their languages would be held in a wooded area near the main stadium. A large platform divided the sports field so that half the delegates, seated on the one side, heard the program in Serbo-Croatian, while the other half, on the other side of the platform, heard it in Slovenian. How that eight-day program deepened the knowledge and faith of the brothers!

      Trains and buses had been booked from all parts of Yugoslavia to take the delegates to Germany. “Thrilled to be united with our brothers and sisters,” recounts a brother who traveled there from Croatia, “we proudly displayed signs in the windows of our train car announcing the convention.”

      The brothers were delighted to see and hear Nathan Knorr and Frederick Franz from the world headquarters. “We could hardly contain our enthusiasm,” recalls one delegate, “when they came to our section of the stadium to give greetings.” The blessings that the Yugoslav brothers enjoyed far outweighed the many sacrifices they had made to attend. “It cost two months’ wages to travel to the assembly,” says Milosija Simić, who traveled from Serbia, “and it was difficult to get ten days off from work. I wasn’t sure if I would still have a job when I returned, but I was determined to go. It was incredible! Till this day, some 40 years later, I have tears of joy when I reflect on that event.” Having joined together with fellow Witnesses from all parts of Yugoslavia to experience the unity of our international brotherhood, the brothers returned home fortified to face the challenges that lay ahead.