Sunday, 11 March 2018
Address of the President Xhaferi on the Occasion of 75 Years since the Holocaust of the Macedonian Jews – Deportation of 7144 Macedonian Jews to the Death Camp Treblinka
One of the darkest periods of the last century, I would say of the human civilization in general, is the Holocaust, when over 6 million men, women, children and elders were killed in the most brutal manner in the Nazis’ death camps, only because they were Jews. Among those 6 million Jews were the 7144 Jews from the territory of today’s Macedonia, who exactly 75 years ago were handed by the invaders to the Nazis and deported to the death camp Treblinka and brutally killed. In other words 98 percent of the Jewish population from Macedonia, among whom over a thousand children ended their lives tragically in this Nazi death camp.
Distinguished attendees,
The Republic of Macedonia and its citizens each year, on this day, recall this tragic event, paying respect to all these fellow citizens of ours, but also to all Jews, victims of the Holocaust. In the same time we loudly and clearly say that we shall never forget the Holocaust and we shall never allow distortion of the historic facts, in the context of negation of the Holocaust. We shall not allow occurrences of anti-Semitism, hate speech, intolerance, xenophobia or other violation of human rights.
Hence, the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, at its Session held on 5 March adopted a special Declaration commemorating these fellow citizens, as well as confirming our determinations. Unfortunately, these occurrences are found in Europe and beyond even today.
Dear friends,
Today, in Macedonia, mostly in Skopje, lives a small Jewish community that is active in all areas of the political life and provides recognisable and significant contribution to the overall social, economic and cultural life of the state.
I would like to underline that the Republic of Macedonia, pursuant to the Law on Denationalization, returned the overall property owned by the Jewish community before the World War II, including the properties of our fellow citizens Jews who were killed in Treblinka, and have no heirs in the present time. This was, in particular the initial point for the construction of the Memorial Holocaust Centre of the Republic of Macedonia. In its work this Centre highly contributes in the remembrance, study and research for the Holocaust. In the same time, this centre promotes unity, tolerance and dialogue, not only among the citizens of Macedonia but also from the region. The very location of the Memorial Centre, in the centre of the city, surrounded on one side by a church and on the other with a mosque, confirms the centuries’ old tolerance and openness of all ethnic communities living in the Republic of Macedonia. Hence, we demand the Holocaust never to be forgotten or repeated. We want more dialogue, tolerance and understanding, resolution of the global problems, as well as the regional and bilateral issues. This is our obligation to those 6 million Jews who lost their lives in the death capms, our obligation to the present and all future generations; this is an obligation of the humanity.