ZAGREB, March 16, 2018 – A monument commemorating the Holocaust victims is expected to be erected outside Zagreb’s central train station by Zagreb Liberation Day, May 8, 2019, a news conference heard after talks between Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić and the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues at the US Department of State Thomas Yazdgerdi.
The US official told reporters that he and Bandić discussed ways of commemorating the Holocaust victims and the importance of educating young people about what happened in Croatia and Europe in World War II, adding that the US and Israeli governments appreciated efforts that were being made in that regard.
Yazdgerdi said the talks also discussed specific issues such as the construction of a synagogue and a monument to the Holocaust victims, noting that it was important that there was a will to include all relevant stakeholders in the process.
Zagreb Deputy Mayor Jelena Pavić Vukičević told reporters that they also discussed the construction of a museum of tolerance and a special cultural centre, adding that Zagreb consistently assisted in commemorations at the Jasenovac Memorial Centre and the centre’s maintenance.
The planned Holocaust monument will be unveiled outside Zagreb’s Central Train Station by Zagreb Liberation Day, May 8, 2019, as a reminder to all who visit the capital as well as its residents of the horrors of World War II, which must never happen again, she said.
The construction of a synagogue and a cultural centre is a matter of agreement between the two Jewish communities in Zagreb, the government and the city authorities, said Pavić Vukičević.
She said that she hoped that their cooperation would show that Zagreb was an open and safe city and that there was room for everyone in it and that the cooperation with the Jewish community would be even better.
