One of the world’s oldest Croatian clubs celebrates 99 years of existence in New York

by croatiaweek
October 17, 2023
in News

One of the oldest Croatian clubs in USA celebrates 99 years of existence in New York

Croatians in New York from the region of Istria celebrated the 99th anniversary of their Istrian Seamen’s Benevolent Society club with a traditional feast they organize every year.

The festive dinner with a ball was held on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at the beautiful Verdi’s of Whitestone in NY, featuring traditional Istrian delicacies.

The well-known Marko & Eleonora and Mario Honović with the accordion took care of the entertainment and music as those who attended enjoyed a good atmosphere, with dancing, singing, and joy as Istrians know how.

Mario Honović, the vice president of the Istrian Seamen’s Benevolent Society, proudly states that this is one of the oldest Croatian clubs not only in NY but in America, and they are especially preparing to celebrate 100 years of existence next year.

“The Benevolent Society of Istrian Seamen was founded on April 24th, 1924, in the premises of our Istrian at 823 Greenwich St in Manhattan. Our old sailors, immigrants from Eastern Istria, mostly from the surroundings of Brda, Čepići, Sušnjevica, Kožljak, Kršan, and neighboring villages, who were mostly bachelors, unmarried, or had wives and children back in Istria, gathered there. They mostly lived together in groups of 5-6, sometimes even ten in a boarding house on the West Side in Manhattan, where they would come with ships and wouldn’t return home once they disembarked.

As they didn’t have steady jobs or worked here and there for cash, they were not insured at all. When someone fell ill, it was a problem; they had no job, no money, nothing, so the society was created to help those who really needed it.

A member who was sick for 2 consecutive weeks received $10 per week to survive. In case of death, each member received a wreath (flowers), and if they had no one of their own, the society took care of the grave, funeral, and the like. Likewise, all members were supposed to attend the wake and the funeral. They organized dances, picnics, and so on to collect a little money for the society’s needs. Each member had to pay $5 for one dance per year, whether they attended the dance or not. They had a general assembly once a year where the management was elected. The term was 2 years, but a member could run for more years.

The first president was Tony Štroligo, and then many others, including Anton Celić (Grandfather, Nono of Mirella, my better half), later long-time presidents Silvio Lencovic, and recently Luciano Terković. The current president is Luciano Dijanić; I am the vice president, Klaudio Diminić is the treasurer, Nevio Dijanic is the secretary. We have about 140 members, mostly older retirees. Times have changed; there are no more young people or sailors.

The purpose of the society has slowly changed; there were fewer and fewer unemployed, more people with families, and fewer needs. Today, the society is still active; we celebrate the anniversary, have one picnic, one general assembly, have a hunting night, and a weekend upstate at Villa Roma, previously at Villa Vosilla (our old Istrian place, unfortunately, now sold) for at least 29 years in a row, before Corona, we would go to Atlantic City or Foxwood Casino.

This is the second year we celebrate the 100th anniversary, and if our health serves us and dear God keeps us, we hope to gather all together once again to celebrate our feast – centenary,” the president, who not only entertains the society with his accordion at festivals but often when he meets friends at the Istria club, said.

“We can only say congratulations to Mario and all Istrians for preserving the Istrian cultural heritage and passing it on to future generations of Istrians in this beautiful country of America, far from our Istria and our homeland, Croatia,” said another present on the night.