Nenad Porges

Nenad Porges
Minister of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship
In office 15 April 1997 – 27 January 2000
Prime Minister	Zlatko Mateša
Preceded by	Davor Štern
Succeeded by	Goranko Fižulić
Personal details
Born	27 December 1946 Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia, (now Croatia)
Nationality	Croat
Political party	Croatian Democratic Union
Alma mater	University of Zagreb

Nenad Porges (born 27 December 1946 in Zagreb, Croatia) is a Croatian politician, businessman, entrepreneur and former Minister of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship.

Background and education

Porges was born in Zagreb to a Jewish family who came to Zagreb from Vienna and Bratislava.^[1][2] His paternal grandparents were killed during the Holocaust by the SS Prinz Eugen Division, while his father's life was spared due to a fact that he was an essential worker for the Third Reich.^[1] Porges received his degrees from the University of Zagreb (a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in marketing) and was a lecturer in marketing and management in postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Zagreb. He was the president of the Jewish community of Zagreb until 1993, when he retired from the position.^[3] Although not active one, Porges is still member of the Jewish community in Zagreb.^[1]

Political and business career

As a president of the Jewish community Zagreb, Porges was a strong advocate of Croatian independence.^[4] He directed a letter to the World Jewish Congress and all affiliated Jewish organizations and institutions with the title; "Appeal to our Jewish brothers and sisters". In the letter he appealed for the recognition of Croatia and support in the Croatian War for Independence which was fought "against a brutal military force led by the Yugoslav Army".^[2] He served as adviser to the Prime Minister for two years. Prior to his post as adviser to the Prime Minister, Porges served as Deputy Minister of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship. In 1997 he became the Minister of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship in the Croatian Government.^[5] He has also worked on a number of marketing research projects and published numerous papers. In 2005 Porges was named among the one thousand most influential Croatians.^[6] After Croatian independence Porges was one of the Freemasonry renovators.^[7]

External links

• Interview on YouTube by Leon Charney on The Leon Charney Report

References

1. Stipić, Branka (2009-05-30). "Spanish GDP we will have in 29 years if we continue with this pace" (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. Retrieved 2010-07-03. Član sam izvorne Židovske općine, ali nisam aktivan. Porgesi su bečka i bratislavska židovska obitelj... ("I am a member of the original Jewish community, but not active one. Porges are Vienna and Bratislava Jewish family...")
2. "All about Porges families". www.porges.net.
3. Cvitić, Plamenko (2006-04-03). "Ognjen Kraus - život dan medicini i židovskoj tradiciji" [Ognjen Kraus - life dedicated to medicine and jewish tradition] (in Croatian). Nacional. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
4. "Slobodan Lang: Josipovićev govor u Knessetu primjer je lijevog antisemitizma". www.hrsvijet.net (in Croatian).
5. Berislav Jelinić (22 April 2003). "Mjere HNB-a blokirale razvoj hrvatskog gospodarstva" [Croatian National Bank measures block development of Croatian economy] (in Croatian). Nacional (weekly). Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
6. "1000 najmoćnijih". Nacional (in Croatian). 19 April 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
7. Ivan Mužić (22 September 1999). "Tuđman i masonstvo". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). Retrieved 24 May 2013.