A commemorative-educational gathering titled “The truth about Jasenovac in the NDH (1941–1945): historical perspectives, memory and documentation” is currently being held in Belgrade.
The event is taking place at the premises of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Belgrade and is organized ahead of the Day of Remembrance for victims of the Ustaša genocide in the NDH, which will be marked in Donja Gradina on Sunday, April 19.
Participants include, among others, the U.S. President’s Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists Robert Garson, Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Community in Serbia Isak Asiel, and Director of the Center for Socio-Political Research of Republika Srpska Dušan Pavlović.
Also attending are Acting Director of the Office for International Cooperation of Republika Srpska Ana Trišić Babić, SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, Robert Garson as a member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, and senior adviser at the U.S. State Department Jacob Ashendorf.
Rabbi Isak Asiel previously stated that the purpose of the gathering is to prayerfully remember the victims.
At the Donja Gradina Memorial Site on Sunday, a memorial service and commemoration for the victims of the Ustaša genocide will be held, followed by the laying of wreaths and flowers at the Topole grave field, after which officials are scheduled to address attendees.
According to data from the Donja Gradina Memorial Site, 700,000 victims perished in the Jasenovac concentration camp during World War II, including 500,000 Serbs, 40,000 Roma, 33,000 Jews, and 127,000 anti-fascists. Among them were 20,000 children.
The Government of Republika Srpska has declared April 19 a Day of Mourning in Republika Srpska in remembrance of the victims of the Ustaša genocide in the Jasenovac concentration camp and its largest execution site — Donja Gradina.
Source: RTRS
