Why We Should Remember
From Serb National Federation-USA
Dear Viewers:
The following document summarizes the reasons why we strongly believe in an annual day of remembrance each April 10th for the victims of Croatian genocide during World War II.
This idea is not motivated by anger or hatred toward Croatians. The idea is motivated by a sense of decency. These victims deserve to be properly remembered, but this will only occur if we do so. The motivation behind the idea is not nationalism, but morality. We do not seek to attack anyone by such a commemoration, nor to justify any misdeeds in the past decade, but rather to give the innocent victims their rightful place in our hearts and in our history.
Such a commemoration may be the most constructive thing that can be accomplished as we search for meaning in the face of vast suffering. The entire Armenian population commemorates a day each year for the victims of Turkish genocide, which occurred at the beginning of this century. The Jewish population, as we all know, does the same for the Holocaust on a separate day. It is clear that their unity is greatly strengthened by these acts.
Many Serbs often speak about the need to learn from the Armenian and Jewish communities. Clearly, their annual, solemn commemorations reflect one of the central lessons from which they have drawn meaning. It has given them a vital moral strength which greatly helps to sustain them.
Given our predicament, we believe that now is the best time for our community to take a step toward a direction that morally strengthens us as a people. Thus, we respectfully ask that you consider the point of view expressed in the enclosed material, which was originally written in April.
Sincerely,
Dragutin M. Ilich
Why We Should Remember
For the past several years, the Serbian Institute has advocated the adoption by the Serbian community of April 10th as a day of commemoration for the victims of the Holocaust in Croatia during World War II. Some of us have chosen to light a candle in our homes on that day each year. We chose that date for remembrance because the Fascist Independent State of Croatia was created by Adolph Hitler on April 10,1941.
Although estimates vary depending on the source, most historians believe that 750,000 Serbs, 60,000 Jews, and 25,000 gypsies were killed by the Ustashi regime between 1941 and 1945. In the article which appears below, a founder of the Serbian Institute discusses the reasons behind the idea of adopting April 10th as a day of commemoration. The article does not necessarily reflect the personal views of other members of the Serbian Institute.
When the Serbian Institute was created in 1987, there were two main reasons which motivated my participation. The first reason was my father, who had spoken to me for several years about his view that an impending disaster faced the Serbs.
After many discussions and some reflection, l was convinced about the accuracy of his views about the impending destruction of Yugoslavia, his concerns for the Serbian people, and the importance of an understanding of our history to assist us in possibly dealing with the situation.
But thoughts without emotion were inadequate to fully motivate me. The emotional basis for my decision came from another source. I still remember the moment that it happened, and the next few paragraphs will, hopefully, describe that experience.
I was given a book about the Holocaust in Croatia by my Uncle. The book is entitled Holocaust in the Independent State of Croatia, by Dr. Lazo M. Kostich. To be frank, I did not know much about this Holocaust. I would not even have read the book except for the fact that I was considering the possible value of a Serbian historical society.
What I read made an impression on me that words may not adequately convey.
The book's description of the events in Fascist Croatia was remarkably vivid. I was literally transported to a place where a growing community of 2 million Serbs had lived. The book described the events which culminated in Hitler's invasion of Yugoslavia. These events occurred with such surprising speed that the Serbs were totally unprepared for what was about to take place.
Hitler had demanded free transport of his troops through Yugoslavia. The Serbian leadership, facing German attack if it did not agree, reluctantly consented. As a result of that decision, outraged Serbian military forces, supported by vocal citizens, conducted a coup de tat on March 27, 1941, which essentially guaranteed an invasion by Germany.
Yugoslavia was promptly invaded by Germany, was defeated, and was carved up. The Independent State of Croatia was created on April 10. In addition to Croatia, it included all of Bosnia-Hercegovina.
The Croatian Usashi were strongly allied with Hitler. They seized power and then began implementing their open and public goal of dealing with the Serbians in Croatia: kill one-third, expel one-third, and convert one-third to Catholicism. Given license by Hitler for four years, they largely accomplished this goal.
I will not elaborate further on the history of that calamity, except to say that the book documents how the Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies were killed. It documents how the estimates of the fatalities were derived solely from German and Italian military sources who were allied with the Croats.
These German and Italian military sources were known for their accuracy and had no motive for exaggerating the figures. The book documents how these Nazi military officers were startled by the brutality and scope of the murders, especially at Jasenovac concentration camp.
As I read the book, l felt that I was actually there while the events were occurring. This fact may help to explain how I felt as I read about the incident at the Serbian Orthodox Church in Glina. As you may know, many Serbs were burned alive in that church before a supportive Croatian crowd. I had not previously known about this event.
I began to imagine how these Serbian victims must have felt and the fear they must have endured as they learned what was going to happen to them. The book includes a picture of these Serbs in the church, who were morbidly forced to pose for the camera.
I looked at the faces in the picture as if I were there in the church with them. Although my family does not come from Croatia, I felt as if I knew these people personally. I imagined them as my beloved grandparents and parents, favorite uncles, loving cousins, younger brothers. They were real people to me, like family. They looked at me directly, their eyes asking what they had done to deserve this fate.
I looked at their faces and the following thoughts came to my head:
I have everything going for me. I am successful and live a good life in America. Yet I am exactly the same as these people in the picture. It could have been me. If I don't care enough about them to remember them, who will?
That is the moment that I became committed to our organization.
Reclaim our Moral Strength?
It is my firm belief that the most constructive thing we can do to help our people and ourselves is to reclaim our moral strength. I believe that one way in which moral strength can be realized is by the respect we give to others, which serves as a measure of our integrity.
It is my belief that we can not regain our moral strength if we ignore the memory of so many innocent Serbs. I believe that our failure to come to terms with what happened to them is one of the main sources of our problems—it has broken our moral compass and we have been lost ever since.
It is true that the communists in Yugoslavia actively suppressed this historical crime, but can we blame the communists for our silence in America for five decades?
It would be as if someone killed all of our family members and we decided that the best way of dealing with it was to forget that they existed. If we don't remember them, who will? If we consciously choose not to honor their memories, what are we?
Its not about anger, its about compassion and decency. In a sense, we need them today as much as their memories depend solely on us.
Recent Events in the Balkans
What does the Holocaust in Croatia during World War II have to do with events today? Well, first of all, the goals of the Holocaust in Croatia have continued in the 1990s, with the forced expulsions of hundreds of thousands of Serbs from Krajina in 1994, and from large parts of Bosnia in 1995. Germany's previous destruction of Yugoslavia is being repeated, step by step, and will probably succeed again.
There is another reason why the Holocaust in Croatia is relevant to events taking place today. We have all noticed the frequent use of the term "genocide" for Serbian acs in Bosnia and, now, in Kosovo. Why is that term being used so repeatedly?
I believe that one reason is that the enemies of the Serbs know that a real genocide did occur. They, and their paid media consultants, have anticipated that the Serbs may present those facts forcefully to the world one day. They repeatedly refer to Serbian actions as "genocide" not only to demonize us, but also indirectly to anticipate any references to the Holocaust in Croatia which may be made by Serbians.
In other words, if the Serbs were the victims of genocide, they are also the perpetrators of genocide. Things are, therefore, even on the genocide issue.
This is grossly inaccurate. Even assuming the worst about excesses allegedly committed by the Serbian forces, their actions can not be equated to what happened in World War II.
I am not condoning Serbian atrocities in any way—they must be condemned if we are serious about regaining our moral strength. However, those killings were neither systematic nor on such a scale as to constitute genocide.
The Serbian acts in the 1990s, whether justified or unjustified, occurred during brutal civil wars in which their country was threatened. As a comparison, over 550,000 people were killed in the American Civil War, and yet no one calls that genocide.
Don't take a Serb's opinion for conclusions about Serbian acts in recent years. The world's expert on genocide, Simon Weisenthal, has stated his opinion that "genocide" did not occur in Bosnia.
Also, during the height of the Bosnian Civil War, the Bush administration conducted a review of claims of genocide in Bosnia and concluded that there was no evidence to support those claims. See, for example, Milwaukee Journal, August 23, 1993, "Agencies find no proof of systematic killings in detention camps."
Another reason why these historical events are important today is the fact that Croatians still "celebrate" each April 10th as the anniversary of their state. This was well documented by a New York Times article by writer Chris Hedges on April 12, 1997.
How Perverse to think that the Croatians remember April 10th each year with pride while we forget it or treat it as irrelevant to our lives and to our people.
Consider Commemorating April 10th
In this article, reasons for commemorating April 10th have been outlined. Most importantly, the innocent victims truly deserve remembrance, as would be the case if our family members were brutally killed. Secondly, our moral strength can only be regained by such a remembrance. Also, many of the events taking place today point out the importance of this act for our future.
As noted previously, in a way, we need them as much as their memories need us. It is possible that the act of remembering them could be a small, first step in creating a new future for our people. If our moral compass were fixed, there could still be hope for us.
All you have to do is light a candle and remember them.
If you don't light a candle, at least remember them on that day—April 10.
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