Film Review: SEVAP/MITZVAH
by Karen Pecota

Sabina Vajraca, USA, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2023

Inspired by a true story, filmmaker Sabina Vajraca showcases heroism at its highest level during the time Bosnia was under Nazi occupation during WWII in SEVAP/MITZVAH. In spite of the region being populated by devote Muslims; there were a number of Jewish communities cohabiting and in harmony with their Muslim neighbors throughout the land.

Zejneba Hardaga, from a Muslim family, and Rifka Kabiljo, from a Jewish family were childhood friends. All grown up and with families of their own, the two women lived within blocks of each other. When Zejneba heard the Nazis were rounding up the Jews in the neighboring Jewish quarter, she went to rescue Rifka and her immediate family before the Germans were able to capture them.

Tension rose within Zejneba's family in regard to hiding the Kabiljos among themselves. The risks were great for the safety of each family member. The patriarch of Zejneba’s family made the decision that it was the proper and right thing to do to save as many of their Jewish friends as possible from the onslaughts of the horrific atrocities of the Nazi regime. Rifka's family was the first to be rescued. Their story and journey to safety is an incredible one not to be forgotten. Vajraca eloquently packs into her short film SEVAP/MITZVAH the reason Zejneba Hardaga is the first woman to be honored fifty years later as Righteous Among the Nations by the state of Israel for her remarkable heroism.