ZAGREB, May 11 (Hina) - The Israeli Ambassador to Croatia, Nathan Meron, on Tuesday presented the award "Righteous Among the Nations" for eight persons from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The presentation ceremony, which was held in
the Zagreb Jewish Community, was attended by several of the awarded persons, members of their families, member of the Croatian Jewish Community, senior Croatian state officials, public figures and diplomatic corps representatives. Franjo Krtic, Boris Roic and Vid-Andrija Milosevic personally received the awards. The other five awarded persons, Ivan Breskovar, Ante Milosevic, Ante Vuletic, Iva Kumric and Toma Kumric, had passed away so their awards were presented to members of their families. The "Righteous Among the Nations" is the highest award Israel, namely the Yad Vashem Memorial Centre in Jerusalem, is presenting to a non-Jew for efforts in saving Jews during World Wa
ZAGREB, May 11 (Hina) - The Israeli Ambassador to Croatia, Nathan
Meron, on Tuesday presented the award "Righteous Among the Nations"
for eight persons from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The presentation ceremony, which was held in the Zagreb Jewish
Community, was attended by several of the awarded persons, members
of their families, member of the Croatian Jewish Community, senior
Croatian state officials, public figures and diplomatic corps
representatives.
Franjo Krtic, Boris Roic and Vid-Andrija Milosevic personally
received the awards. The other five awarded persons, Ivan
Breskovar, Ante Milosevic, Ante Vuletic, Iva Kumric and Toma
Kumric, had passed away so their awards were presented to members of
their families.
The "Righteous Among the Nations" is the highest award Israel,
namely the Yad Vashem Memorial Centre in Jerusalem, is presenting
to a non-Jew for efforts in saving Jews during World War Two. So far,
about 15,000 people have been presented with the "Righteous Among
Nations", and one country; Denmark, which saved all Jews living
there during World War Two.
President of the Jewish Community in Zagreb Ognjen Kraus said he was
recently told that the entire Jewish community in Albania was
saved.
He stressed that Jewish memories of six million victims, and people
who had been helping Jews to survive the Holocaust across Europe,
including the Ustashi Independent State of Croatia, also include a
warning to the world to stop the killings and genocide.
Kraus said that the obligation was particularly significant
because the ghosts of evil have not yet disappeared. As an example,
Kraus stated a recent incident provoked by extreme right-wingers at
a rally aimed at giving back the Zagreb's Square of Croatia's Great
Men its former name of "Square of Victims of Fascism".
"On the Day of victory of over fascism and the Day of Europe, which
were celebrated in Europe and in the rest of the world as the symbol
of a better future, a horrible resurrection of neo-nazism and
Ustashi movement was demonstrated in Zagreb", Kraus said.
He added the incident was a "warning and a call to oppose it - not
only because of the horrible experience of nazism, fascism, and the
Ustashi movement, but primarily because of the future."
The Israeli Ambassador pointed to the text written on each award -
"the one who saved a life, saved the entire world", and added that
such examples of courage give hope for better future.
Boris Roic thanked the Ambassador on behalf of the awarded
persons.
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