ZAGREB, June 20, 2019 – The Jewish Community of Zagreb (ŽOZ) has called for an annulment of the “shameful” decision by the Zagreb City Assembly to erect a monument to Holocaust victims in Zagreb because it believes that its purpose is to conceal the truth about the killings of Jews in WWII Croatia.
ŽOZ said in a statement that the aim is to downplay the significance and gravity of crimes committed against tens of thousands of Jews based on racial laws in the Ustasha-ruled Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in 1941-1945 by insisting on the theme that covers six million Jews killed worldwide.
ŽOZ said it had suggested building a monument in tribute to Holocaust victims who perished in the NDH and that it would also support a monument to all victims of NDH racial laws, including Roma, Serbs, Jews, antifascists and opponents of the Ustasha regime.
“There is no place for a monument to six million Jewish in Zagreb and Croatia because such a monument already exists in Berlin. Respecting this fact, European countries have marked the killings of Jews on their respective territories with monuments and memorials, always and without exception with the consent of and through cooperation with the local Jewish community,” ŽOZ said, calling on the Zagreb City Assembly to repeal its “shameful” decision.
In a letter addressed to Zagreb City Assembly chairman Drago Prgomet, ŽOZ president Ognjen Kraus expressed their opposition to erecting such a monument, saying that this decision should not have been adopted without respecting their opinion.
ŽOZ said they had discussed the matter with Mayor Milan Bandić several times and that he had promised to respect their view, adding that the matter had also been raised at their meeting with the prime minister. They recalled that they had issued several public statements about the matter clearing expressing their disagreement with the idea.
On June 4 the Zagreb City Assembly decided to erect a monument in Branimirova Street near the Central Railway Station to commemorate six million Jews killed in the Holocaust.
More news about Jews in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.
