Brother George Weifert (1850-1937) is arguably the most distinguished promoter  of  Serbian Freemasonry . His Masonic career, spanning forty seven years ( 1890-1937), is the story of the beginnings  of Serbian and Yugoslavian  Freemasonry, of its growth  and  of the turbulent times in which it existed.

    He was the first Master of one of the original  Lodges in Serbia^[1], Sovereign Grand   Commander of the Supreme Council of Serbia^[2], Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of  Serbs , Croats and Slovenians -Yugoslavia  (or Velika Loza Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca - Jugoslavija)^[3], from  its founding in 1919 till 1933 , and a Sovereign  Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of Yugoslavia AASR  from 1919 till 1937^[4].

     At the time of Brother Weifert , the Balkan Peninsula was a hotbed of religious , ethnic , and political conflicts , as it still is today , and everybody seemed to be involved . Many members of the Craft held eminent positions in the political , economical and cultural life . Some of them often failed to distinguish  between their professional obligations ,  patriotic duty and masonic activity. This made Freemasonry in Serbia an easy target for antimasonic propaganda. George Weifert recognized this problem early on. As a leader of Serbian Freemasons , he always insisted on keeping religion and politics away from the Craft and out of the lodge rooms . This proved to be an almost impossible task .

    We will examine the history of this brother   and see that George Weifert was a true builder , a man with a vision , an example of a Freemason ‘living what he taught’ , and a real pillar of Freemasonry.

 [1]  George Weifert was the First Worshipful Master of the Lodge ‘Pobratim’ in Belgrade from 1891 till 1899.

[2]  George Weifert was the Sovereign Commander of the Supreme Council of Serbia from 1912 to 1919.

[3]  The Grand Lodge of Serbs , Croats and Slovenians - Yugoslavia , changed its name into the Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia in 1929.

[4]  The Supreme Council of  Serbia changed its name into the Supreme Council of Yugoslavia in 1919. At the same time Valleys were formed in many cities throughout Yugoslavia.