A memorial academy was held in Banja Luka to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The event took place at the Jewish Cultural Center “Arie Livne,” attended by the advisor to the President of Republika Srpska, Lučijano Kaluža, delegate in the Council of Peoples Nada Tešanović, and other political and social representatives from Republika Srpska.
The President of the Jewish Community of Banja Luka, Aleksandra Stevandić, stated that the academy aims to remember individuals who significantly influenced the social and economic life of Banja Luka and to ensure that such atrocities never happen again.
In addition to reading the names of Jewish victims from Banja Luka, a memorial room dedicated to their history was opened.
The director of the Jewish Cultural Center, Irena Đorđević, explained that the memorial room is divided into four sections: a German-written status, the golden age of the community, the tragic Holocaust, and the names of Jewish victims from Banja Luka.
“The fourth section doesn’t really exist, as it leads to the exit door, symbolizing the start of life when you leave the room,” Đorđević noted.
Historian Zoran Pejašinović shared that the memorial room includes numerous documents discovered in the Archives of Yugoslavia in Belgrade, the Archives of Republika Srpska, the State Archives of Israel, and other institutions.
- “I worked extensively on the victim list and identified personal details for 306 Jewish residents of Banja Luka. A few dozen additional names could be added, but some information is still missing,” Pejašinović said.
As part of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a projection was displayed on the Palace of the Republic to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, accompanied by the universal message “We Remember” (#WeRemember).
#WeRemember is a global campaign initiated by the World Jewish Congress to commemorate this day, observed annually in major cities worldwide.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on November 1, 2005, designating January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This date marks the liberation of Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration camp, by Soviet forces in 1945, and serves to honor the millions of victims of the Holocaust during World War II.
Source: RTRS
