Yehuda Kaplun, special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump for combating antisemitism, said remembrance is a central principle for the Jewish people and stressed that the atrocities committed at Jasenovac concentration camp must never be forgotten.
Speaking in Donja Gradina during the commemoration of victims of genocide against Serbs, Jews, and Roma in the Independent State of Croatia, Kaplun said:
“We stand today on sacred ground, a place of unspeakable horror that reminds us what happens when evil is not controlled.”
He said that 81 years later, the cries of the victims — Serbs, Jews, and Roma — can still be heard, and that such voices cannot be silenced.
Kaplun stated that the soil of Donja Gradina is soaked with blood and that truth must be spoken openly so the stories of the victims are preserved and never forgotten.
“Remembrance alone is not enough. Our hearts must become their resting place. We must hear their cries and be their voice. ‘Never again’ is not just a slogan — it is a call to action,” he said.
He added that denial of the Holocaust and attempts to rewrite historical facts are an insult to the victims of Jasenovac and to victims of all crimes.
Kaplun also warned that antisemitism is rising globally and called for united efforts against hatred wherever it appears.
“We must learn about the past and learn from it in order to protect the living. All of us here must dedicate ourselves to fighting hatred whenever and wherever we see it,” he said.
He further stated that 81 years is far too long to wait for the construction of a proper memorial center for the victims killed at Donja Gradina.
Kaplun concluded his speech with a traditional Jewish prayer recited by many victims before their deaths.
Source: RTRS
