The Conference on the occasion of marking the 27 January - International Holocaust Remembrance Day, established by the UN General Assembly of 1 November 2005, was held today in the Parliament of Montenegro. The conference was organised by the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms and the Committee on Education, Science, Culture and Sports.
By marking this important date, Montenegro has joined to almost hundred countries all around the world. At the very beginning, participants of the conference honoured all victims of the Holocaust by a minute’s silence.
Aside from President of the Parliament of Montenegro Mr Ivan Brajović, Vice President Mr Genci Nimanbegu, chairpersons and members of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms and the Committee on Education, Science, Culture and Sports, the conference was attended by Deputy Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro, Minister of Culture, representatives of the Ministry of Education, Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, Vice President of the Federation of Associations of Veterans of the People's Liberation War and Anti-facists of Montenegro, non-residential Ambassador of Israel to Montenegro, Rabbi of the Jewish community of Montenegro, and President of the Jewish community of Montenegro.
President of the Parliament of Montenegro Mr Ivan Brajović said that the rule of law had no alternative. It is an obligation, first of all, of the parliament of a country, and then of other branches of government as well. He emphasised that the Parliament of Montenegro will endure in this task, by marking all populist movements which have no good intentions towards others, and thus towards themselves, and then sanction them in cooperation with other branches of government and civil sector, in line with the law. We are obliged to do so by our anti-fascist past that we are rightly proud of, as well as by multi-confessional, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural life of Montenegrin civil society. We are also bound to do so due to remembrance culture which should be nourished and transferred to new generations, because six million of innocent Jew victims represent all of us.
Mr Brajović stressed that a man is not an enemy to another man by nature, but the hate is acquired characteristic, which, as Holocaust has showed costed one nation and one civilisation millions of innocent victims.
- Therefore, we must not forget lines of refugees, who, instead of finding shelter in the European centuries-long tradition, found death in concentration camps. Today’s Europe learned from its own mistakes, while from the ruins of unpardonable crimes it made itself stronger and more unique than ever, becoming a temple of solidarity, tolerance and democracy. President of the Parliament Mr Ivan Brajović thinks that precisely this Europe, in order to remain a guardian of all noble values, must detect the remains of dark ideologies and their apparitions whose manifestations are hardly recognisable today with the same goal.
Mr Brajović stressed that this today’s gathering supports the fact that we must not forget Jewish suffering, but also suffering of other dozens of millions, including tens of thousands of Montenegrin who were victims of fascisms.
- In line with foregoing, the Parliament of Montenegro under my leadership, and, I believe it was the case with my predecessors and will be with my successors, because major Montenegro unambiguously champions its anti-fascist tradition and it will never speculate or bargain with permanent values of human liberty, and it will always condemn and prevent all today’s people and organisations, who are basically silent and fortunately ineffective in their actions, but who are trying to derogate Jewish victims and victims of other nations in the World War II - the President of the Parliament of Montenegro concluded.
Chairperson of the of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms Mr Halil Duković stressed that in adopting the Resolution on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the UN General Assembly was inspired by the need to reaffirm human rights, prevent and sanction genocide crimes, as well as by ever-present danger of racial, national and religious hatred based on prejudices.
He reminded that the Universal declaration on human rights notes that everyone has the right to all rights and freedoms set forth in the Declaration, without distinction of any kind on grounds of race, religion or other status, and that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security, as proclaimed in Article 3 of this Declaration.
The UN General Assembly's resolution of 1 November 2005 reaffirms that the Holocaust which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people, along with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice, and rejects any denial of the Holocaust as an historical event, either in full or part.
Chairperson of the Committee Mr Duković reminded the participants that the first initiative for marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day was launched in 2000, when 46 governments signed the Declaration of International Forum on Holocaust in Stockholm, which states that the Holocaust fundamentally challenged the foundations of civilization, while terrible suffering of the Jewish people and many millions of other victims of the Nazis has left an indelible scar across Europe as well. With humanity still scarred by genocide, ethnic cleansing, racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia, the international community shares a solemn responsibility to fight those evils. Together we must uphold the terrible truth of the Holocaust against those who deny it. We must strengthen the moral commitment of our peoples, and the political commitment of our governments, to ensure that future generations can understand the causes of the Holocaust and reflect upon its consequences.
Two years later, in October 2002, the European Ministers of Education made a declaration, agreeing that a ‘Day of Remembrance’ should be established in all member states. Activities of the Council of Europe with regard to remembrance of the Holocaust have been defined by the Recommendation on history teaching in twenty-first-century Europe, adopted by the Committee of Minsters on 31 October 2001, which says that it is necessary to implement the entire range of educational measures with a view to preventing the repetition or denial of the devastating events having marked the 20th century.
As for international organisations, the OSCE also placed accent on the promotion of Holocaust remembrance and the fight against contemporary anti-Semitism, and member states have committed themselves to remembering the Holocaust by a decision adopted at the Anti-Semitism Conference held in Berlin in 2004.
The Chairperson of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms said that International Holocaust Remembrance Day was especially marked in the European states where during the World War II 53 million of people, including 31 million of civilians, lost their lives. Total number of Jews, victims of the Nazis persecution, ranges between 4,194,000 to 5,820,960, while with all other nations, 9-11 million people perished during the war. Although the Jews were the first to be targeted by national socialists and their associates, others also suffered: Roma and Sinti; homosexuals; Jehovah's Witnesses; Poles; Russian prisoners of war, and they should be remembered together with the victims of the Holocaust. Identity of millions of people was deliberately destroyed, while their hopes, their future were taken away, and ultimately their life was taken away only because someone thought they were less valuable.
Given that certain forms of hatred and violence on various grounds exist even today, the President of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms believes that additional efforts must be made to prevent and stop them.
Mr Duković is convinced that successful facing with challenges such as populism, migration, terrorism, religious radicalisation, and growth of populism is possible only through joint efforts of all countries, while the parliaments have the crucial role in promoting respect for fundamental European values, human rights and the rule of law. He stressed that education system is important for fighting populist ideas, not only in terms of accessibility but its quality as well, because, according to the historian data, the Holocaust was launched by the state which had no single illiterate citizen in 1939.
He emphasised that persecution due to belonging to another nation, faith or any other grounds should not be allowed. Therefore it is very important to contribute to raising awareness of all citizens, and especially young people and to develop the curriculum within which the current and future generations would learn about the Holocaust in order to prevent future acts of genocide. It is vital to raise awareness about the dangers of radical, extremist movements and totalitarian regimes, as well as about the modern forms of anti-Semitism, xenophobia and all forms of hatred. Special efforts, which should be constant and coordinated, should be made to promote respect for human rights, especially rights of minorities. He believes that to succeed in this field it is important to promote critical thinking and foster personal responsibility of citizens. The fight against xenophobia, segregation on any grounds and respect for human rights and freedoms are necessary in any democratic society. It is necessary to increase efforts to promote education, remembrance, and research on the Holocaust which must be remembered.
The Chairperson of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms sent a strong, clear and unequivocal message that our today’s society and the values in which we believe find the phenomena of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious beliefs absolutely unacceptable, wherever they may appear. In Montenegro, we are proud of our international and religious harmony, tolerance, understanding of differences, as basic anti-fascist values fostered and developed for decades, and the independent, European Montenegro was created on the foundations of the anti-fascist fight, so he is convinced that Montenegrin society is clearly determined to build a society of peace, freedom, democracy, tolerance and equality.
The Chairperson of the Committee on Education, Science, Culture and Sports Mr Radule Novović said that the Holocaust was an indelible stain on the history of mankind, a man-made one, i.e. one done by a man to another man. The death of millions of innocent people, whose only sin was that they belonged to one nation or religion, is a warning and a covenant to young generations to continue to create a different world, so that something like that may never be repeated. It is estimated that the position of the Jews in Montenegro is most vividly reflected in the statement by the late President of the Jewish community of Montenegro Mr Jaša Alfandari who on one occasion said: “When two years ago I said there was no anti-Semitism in Montenegro, some people outside of Montenegro looked at me funny. As a matter of fact, the Jews who live here do not know what anti-Semitism is.”
The Chairperson of the Committee on Education, Science, Culture and Sports believes that Montenegrin education system covers the topic of the Holocaust in a very high-quality manner. The post-war generations of students in Montenegro grew up with a compulsory reading book “The Diary of Anne Frank” which is even today on the compulsory reading list for the 8th grade of primary school. That fact indicates that the topic of the Holocaust in modern Montenegro, as it has always been, causes the need to express special sympathy with the victims and the persecuted and to keep alive the memory of the victims’ stories and their suffering. In its third chapter titled “World War II and the modern world”, the course book for the 9th grade of primary school has one of the sub-chapters dedicated to the Holocaust. Furthermore, this topic is covered in the history course book for the 4th grade of grammar school. He also recalled Mr Danilo Kiš, the literary giant, son of a Hungarian Jew and Montenegrin woman, who defined nationalism primarily as paranoia, collective and individual.
The Vice President of the Federation of Associations of Veterans of the People's Liberation War and anti-fascists of Montenegro (SUBNOR) Ms Branka Nikezić reminded that, out of 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust, around 1,100,000 were children. In that period, Montenegro had about 100 Jews who had been put into camps in Albania and Italy, and many of them joined the people's liberation war. Montenegro is one of the rare countries in Europe which had no concentration camps in its territory. She reminded that for about ten years the SUBNOR had been marking the Holocaust Remembrance Day with various round tables, events, and lectures. She announced that in the course of this or the following year, the book “Jews and partisans” prepared by the SUBNOR would be published.
The President of the Jewish community of Montenegro Mr Đorđe Raičević said that in the previous year they had organised round tables and lectures in schools so that young people could be informed about the atrocities survived by the Jews in World War II. What separates Montenegro from other countries is the fact that families who deserved the award “Medal of the righteous” established by Israel did not want to accept that award, as a sign of public gratitude, saying that what they had done for the Jews they would have done for any other people. Most Jews who live and work in Montenegro want to stay here, because they see Montenegro as a safe country where they feel free.
The non-resident ambassador of Israel to Montenegro Ms Alona Fisher-Kam reminded that the Auschwitz, in which 1,200,000 people were killed, out of whom more than 90% were Jews, had become a synonym of the horrors and atrocities of the Nazi regime. The name Auschwitz represents the uniqueness of the Holocaust not only by the dimension of the systematic murder or the brutality and cruelty of the death methods, but also by the ideology of racism and hatred behind it.
More than 70 years after the Holocaust, it seems that anti-Semitism, hatred and intolerance have not only prevailed but also rose all over Europe. Therefore, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, fighting against anti-Semitism and endeavouring to prevent future hate crime are not solely in the Jewish interest, because any attempt to deny Holocaust or to commit hate crimes will end up in subverting the core values of the whole democratic society.
The ambassador emphasised that Montenegro was sending a clear moral message of tolerance and against any racial violence to the young generation, and congratulated the Parliament of Montenegro and its President Mr Ivan Brajović for marking this important date and organising this event. She emphasised that this special commemorative day could also be a source of pride for Montenegro, as in the Holocaust, Montenegro was one of the very few countries in Europe that was a safe haven for persecuted Jews. She estimated that in Montenegro Jews had always felt safe and free to practice their Judaism. She reminded that the Jewish traces in Montenegro were long-dated, discovered in the Ancient Roman site of Doclea, and in the 16th century, Jews, running away from persecutions and expulsions in Spain and Portugal, had found refuge in Montenegro, where they had been warmly welcomed and well integrated, contributing to the flourishing of the country and to the well-being of its society.
She announced that this year, on the occasion of marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, RTCG would screen a documentary about the fate of Jews in the Balkans through the stories of the different communities around Ex-Yugoslavia and through the personal stories of survivors and their families.
While taking part in the discussion, MP Ms Aleksandra Vuković said that, owing to the culture of memories, literature and cinematography, some camps were known to the public, but all other camps should also be in the public eye, so that the crimes do not repeat, and so that we do not have a situation to which relevant research points out - that as much as a third of Europeans have no idea what the Holocaust is. She believes that in literature Mr Danilo Kiš to a large extent contributed to the knowledge of what the fascist acts and the Nazi camps were. Furthermore, our media are also fostering the tradition of anti-fascism with care.
The Deputy Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro Mr Siniša Bjeković believes that the “vampire” of the Holocaust and similar phenomena is still happening and spreading over Europe. It is everyone’s obligation to prevent it in the most effective manner possible, and the roots of this phenomena should be cut. It is an obligation to also fight against every attempt to relativise the Holocaust crime.
MP Ms Branka Tanasijević believes that differences must always be seen as a treasure not as a curse. She agrees that the Holocaust is the greatest tragedy in the history of mankind. It is a tragedy because it resulted in millions of victims, but also because there were people who could have done such evil. The Holocaust is a call to people that similar things should never occur.
The participants in this conference joined the campaign #WeRemember whose goal is to raise awareness on Holocaust and all types of xenophobia and genocide. Furthermore, a short film about the victims of the Holocaust and the testimony of those who survived this horror was screened at the conference; it was made at the request of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms whch was put forward to the employees of the film editorial office of the RTCG. A video clip from the Israeli film “The Forgotten” was shown, about the testimony of the camp survivors from around Ex-Yugoslavia. The film will be screened on the second channel of the RTCG on 27 January. Furthermore, a video clip from the show “Profile” was shown, in which a RTCG journalist talks with Mr Branko Lustig, two-time Oscar winner and film producer who survived Auschwitz as a child and translated those experiences into the film “Schindler's List”, actively working on raising awareness of young people about the Holocaust and the horrors of Nazism.
Speech by the President of the Parliament of Montenegro at the conference regarding the marking of the International Holocaust Remembrance DaySpeech of President Brajović
Conference of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms and the Committee on Education, Science, Culture and Sports on the occasion of marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day
