President Shimon Peres and Croatian President Ivo Josipovic spoke at a memorial Sunday at the notorious concentration camp Jasenovac, which was the largest death camp in Croatia and Yugoslavia during the Holocaust.
Peres noted that the camp was different from many others in two ways: firstly, because most of its victims were not Jewish, but rather were ethnic Serbs, Roma, and Croatian opponents of fascism; and secondly, due to the “sheer sadism” of the camp, whose victims were often killed with knives, hammers and stones. Many victims were tortured.
An estimated 30,000 Jews – 75 percent of Croatia's pre-war Jewish population – were murdered during the Holocaust.
"As a Jewish president, clearly I cannot come to this place without being moved to the depth of my bones,” he said. He mentioned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has denied the Holocaust, saying, “I wish I would see him here.”
Denying the Holocaust allows Ahmadinejad to “permit the legitimacy of continuity to kill,” he added.
Peres spoke of the need for education in order to prevent genocide in the future, and praised Croatian leaders for their efforts. “I'm proud that the two of us are trying to raise a civilization of humanity, a civilization of respect for human lives,” he said.
Josipovic voiced similar sentiments. Croatia must face “a past that was difficult and painful,” he said. “We have to learn lessons from the past in order that our tomorrow be better, and that the atrocities that happened here and elsewhere do not repeat again,” he stated.
Peres took part in a recitation of Kaddish, the traditional mourners' prayer, which was led by Croatian Rabbis Kotel Dadon and Lucijan Prelevic.
Israel and Croatia did not have ties during the 1990s, when the latter was established, due to the then-Croatian government's pro-fascism stance. Over the past 10 years, Croatia's governments have denounced fascism, and Israel and Croatia have grown closer. Then-President Moshe Katzav became the first Israeli leader to visit Croatia in 2003.
During his visit, President Peres signed an agreement with Josipovic to cooperate on culture and education for the next two years. Israelis “look on Croatia as a friend, not just a country,” Peres announced. He and Josipovic stressed the common ground the two nations share.