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Israel honors Serbia's "Righteous among nations"

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Electra:


October 31st, Serbia


--- Quote ---NOVI SAD --  A synagogue ceremony last night recognized those Serbians who helped save the lives of Jews during the WW2.
 The Righteous Among the Nations title, the highest honor the state of Israel awards non-Jews, is intended for those who helped save Jewish lives during the Holocaust.

Dušan Jovanović received the medal in Novi Sad from the hands of the Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Arthur Koll, while Andrija Latal, Petar Zanković, Klara Baić and Slobodanu and Milenija Knežević were honored posthumously.

Jovanović, a retired professor of medial science, worked with the staff of a Novi Sad hospital during the Second World War to hide 20 Jews throughout 1944, and save their lives from Nazi persecution.

Jovanović told the gathering Tuesday, which included President Boris Tadić, that he acted out of his sense of humanity, without expecting to ever be recognized or awarded, since he himself went through terrible ordeals.

"This strengthened my faith that we must appreciate and respect the man as the only value," he said.

Ambassador Koll addressed those attending the ceremony by saying that he felt exceptional honor because of the duty he was entrusted with.

"I stand here on behalf of the government of Israel, Yad Vashem, the entire Jewish nation and on behalf of those lucky few that were offered salvation by exceptionally courageous people who we are this evening rewarding," he continued.

The ambassador stressed that he himself came from a family of Holocaust survivors, while most of his relatives perished in the horrors of war, and quoted from the holy Jewish book of Talmud when he said, "a person that saves one life, has saved the whole world."

Koll reminded those present of the Israeli Holocaust memorial of Yad Vashem, established in 1953, a national institution designed to honor the memory of the six million Jews killed during the war.

He also reflected on the fact that 62 years after the victory over the Nazis, xenophobia, racism, and anti-Semitism are still alive, threatening world stability and peace.

"Just this month, here in Novi Sad, an attempt to raise the Nazi flag occurred, the flag of hatred and xenophobia. In this case, the reaction of both the democratic authorities and the public was impressive. Several thousand citizens of Serbia rose up and said, there is no place for racism in our town," the ambassador reminded.

When President Boris Tadić addressed the gathering, he expressed his sense of pride over the fact that Serbians were among those to help the persecuted Jewish population during the war, adding that Serbia will not allow for inhumanity of that kind to ever again take place on its soil.

"It is regrettable that even today in Europe, and elsewhere in the world, there are those who deny the existence of the concentration camps, gas chambers and the Holocaust," Tadić said.

"This should prompt us all the more to gather around those righteous individuals who risked their own lives to save those of their Jewish neighbors," the president added.

He told the Israeli embassy representatives and those from Serbia's Jewish community that he will work to make sure Jews are equal members of the society, with their cultural, ethnic and religious identity respected.

"I believe our joint efforts and ideals of the righteous will succeed in preserving and strengthening the ideals of humanity," Tadić said, adding he will look to condemn each incident of intolerance in front of the country's political public, bit also in the courts.

Since Yad Vashem was established, close to 22,000 medals have been awarded to individuals all over the world. Israel has to date also honored 127 Serbian nationals.
--- End quote ---

Latest individuals to be honored by Israel.

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=10&dd=31&nav_id=44990

AussieJTFer:
G-d bless these brave Serbs and their families.

Merkava:
Yes yes !!!

Big ups to our Serbian brothers !!! We are in this game togteher  ;)

Merk

Husar:
then, please,
help us BAN NAZICROATS
from our JTF forum.

drago zgb:
Speech of the President of the Republic of Croatia at the award of "The Righteous among the Nations" title

Dear guests,
Madame Ambassador of the State of Israel,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are gathered here today to witness the award of unique honours, the Righteous among the Nations title. Daring, noble people of strong moral principles were ready to run a risk by aiding Jews at the time of Nazi persecutions.

This was dangerous because laws imposed especially harsh punishments for that.

Nevertheless, many risked their lives assisting the persecuted Jews.

After the end of the greatest calamity that befell Jews during their difficult history, the State of Israel was founded in 1948 and Jews could officially honour the courage and nobility of their rescuers. Thus was born the idea of proclaiming rescuers the Righteous among the Nations.

The honour for the Righteous consists of a medal and a certificate. Only a non-Jew who rendered critical assistance to Jews during the Holocaust rescuing them from persecution under the provisions of racial laws and in doing so risked his or her life and safety can be proclaimed a Righteous among the Nations.

The Righteous title entitles one to have a plaque with his or her name and the name of the country of his or her descent placed in the park on the premises of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

Around 16,000 persons have been proclaimed the Righteous among the Nations up to now, including several dozens from Croatia.

This honour is the highest decoration a non-Jew can receive from the State of Israel. It symbolizes gratitude and eternal memory of the sacrifice the Righteous made for the salvation of Jews as a nation.

Therefore, a sentence from the Talmud inscribed on the medal that is presented to a Righteous reads: "He who saves one life saves the world entire."

The most profound meaning of this honour is the eternal bond that is thus created between a Righteous and the Jewish people.

Jews were first systematically deprived of their fundamental rights, discriminated on every step. Later, the so-called final solution was resorted to – deportation to concentration camps where thousands, tens and hundreds of thousands and millions of them were – killed.

The Holocaust did not appear overnight. Antisemitism that preceded it has been, unfortunately, an inseparable part of European history. There is no European nation not having longer or shorter Antisemitic periods or events.

Our young generation must know that the Ustasha regime that was established with the assistance of the German and Italian occupying forces on the territories under their control did the same thing done by Hitler's Nazis – maybe in a slightly less organised manner.

Here as well, Jews were first forbidden from doing this or that, for example it was forbidden for them to live in the city centre, to have a radio or a telephone, they were dismissed from their jobs and then collected and sent to death camps, the most infamous one being Jasenovac.

Another point needs to be made – not just Jews, but also Serbs, Romanies and Croats who were political opponents of the Ustasha regime ended up in the camps.

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