DAY OF SUFFERING AND HEROISM OF JEWS IN HOLOCAUST MARKED

ZAGREB, Apr 8 (Hina) - The Day of Suffering and Heroism of Jews in the Holocaust, Yom Hashoa ve Hagvura, was marked Friday in front of a monument to Moses at the Mirogoj cemetery in Zagreb. The ceremony, organised by the Zagreb Jewish community, was attended by Parliament Speaker Stipe Mesic, Prime Minister Nikica Valentic, Archbishop of Zagreb Cardinal Franjo Kuharic, and representatives of the diplomatic corps and religious communities. Addressing the participants, President of the Zagreb Jewish Community Ognjen Kraus said: "We have met again to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust of World War II, to remember more than six million innocent victims of our people, which was martyred in the most horrible way possible, in death camps." Kraus recalled that this year marked the fiftieth anniversary of the nearly complete disappearance of the Hungarian Jewish community, which numbered over 700,000 members before World War II. 600,000 members of that community were killed in Auschwitz. Kraus went on to say that the suffering, victims and atrocities of war unfortunately tended to repeat themselves. "We have lived through all that again here, in our country. Europe and the world are silent as neo-Nazis rise again," said Kraus. "I can affirm that anti-semitism is not on the rise in Croatia," said Kraus. "We welcome President Tudjman's letter to the Jewish Bnei Brit organisation correcting the data in his book 'Wastelands of Historical Reality', shortly to be published in English. We also welcome the President's apology to the Jewish people for the crimes committed by the Ustashas in World War II, under the rule of the so-called Independent State of Croatia, which he offered at the awarding of a medal to Branko Lustig after the Schindler's List first-night. We also welcome the decision to change the name of the Mile Budak School and Mile Budak Street. We believe that the future of Croatia can be built only on the foundation of anti-fascism, which the Croatian people valiantly defended in World War II." Speaking on behalf of President Tudjman, head of the president's office Jure Radic said today was the "day of remembrance of all Holocaust victims who suffered at the hands of racists, fascists, nazis and many others throughout history." "President Tudjman has offered an apology for the acts of those members of the Croatian people who contributed to the suffering of the Jewish people on various occasions this year," Radic said. 082114 MET apr 94