Bet Israel is a Jewish religious community established in Croatia a year ago.
"The establishment of Jewish municipalities in Croatia started in the early 19th century, the first municipality was founded in Zagreb in 1806, and we are celebrating its anniversary today," publicist and publisher Slavko Goldstein said at the ceremony, thanking the Croatian society for enabling the normal functioning of the Jewish community.
"We enjoy the support of the people and the authorities and for that I thank President Mesic, who has been promoting such an attitude towards the Jewish community," Goldstein said.
Addressing the gathering, President Mesic said that the Jewish community had always cherished the spirit of democracy and pluralism, and that Zagreb and Croatia were in its debt for its work.
Mesic wished that the Zagreb Jewish community and Bet Israel may develop to the benefit of the entire Jewish community in the country and work towards the prosperity of Zagreb and Croatia in cooperation with others and in an atmosphere of dialogue.
Mesic presented Goldstein with the Order of Ante Starcevic for his contribution to the establishment of an independent, sovereign and democratic Croatia and the accomplishment of the notion of its statehood.
Science, Education and Sports Minister Dragan Primorac said that the Croatian government was committed to the Jewish community exercising all rights that are exercised by other communities.
Croatia needs the truth and all should know that it was founded on anti-fascism and that Croats know what the Holocaust is because they experienced it in Milosevic's aggression on Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, Primorac said.
The minister also said that Croatia and Israel had an excellent cooperation in science and recalled an initiative to build a synagogue and a Jewish cultural centre in Zagreb.
Speaking about the history of the Jewish community in Zagreb, the leader of Bet Israel, Ivo Goldstein, said that the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH, 1941-1945) had negated and destroyed the heritage of the Zagreb Jews created over 100 years before WWII, when almost two-thirds of the community were killed.
Bet Israel today lives and works in the spirit of the best tradition of Croatian Jews, Goldstein said.
The Chief Rabbi in Croatia, Kotel Da-Don, whom the community presented with a special award, said that since his arrival in Croatia eight years ago he had accomplished to a large extent his main goal - to revive the religious life of the Jewish community.
He added that Croatian Jews were on the right track towards building their religious community in line with European standards.
Participants in the ceremony were also addressed by Israel's Ambassador to Croatia, Shmuel Meirom, and numerous representatives of Jewish international organisations.