Opening of the exhibition "Some Words about the Holocaust in Serbia"

(tekst na srpskom jeziku je ni?e ispod teksta na engleskom)

Within the broader program "75 days for 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," organized by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue of the Republic of Serbia in cooperation with Terraforming and with the support of the German Embassy, on Friday, December 8, 2023, at the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade, we presented a program "Culture of Human Rights and Memory Culture: Hilda Daj? - Symbol and Inspiration” and opened the exhibition produced by Terraforming: "Some Words about the Holocaust in Serbia." I am the author of the exhibition.?

The exhibition is translated into English, too, and will be available online.

At the beginning of the program, the attendees were addressed by Tomislav ?igmanov, Minister, Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue of the Republic of Serbia; Goran Aleksi?, State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and head of the delegation of the Republic of Serbia to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance IHRA; Danijela Vanu?i?, Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia; Dejan Risti?, Director of the Genocide Victims Museum, Marko Krsti?, Director of the Ethnographic Museum; and myself, as director of Terraforming.

My opening speech

Here is what I said in the opening speech:

One classic narrative about the origin of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is that humanity, faced with the horrors and consequences of the greatest world war in history, the destruction and crimes in which the Holocaust has a special place, fall silent, and that prompted by this terrible lesson, the representatives of the countries of the world agreed on a document that will explicitly state fundamental human rights that must never be questioned again. It is said that the world "fall silent." In fact, this narrative is fundamentally flawed. The world didn't fall silent at that point. On the contrary, the world spoke, but only then, very late, too late. The world was silent when no one was supposed to be speechless. It was quiet and turned its head away six million times.

Today is December 8 - a terrible and difficult date in the history of Belgrade, in the history of Serbia, in the history of the world. On this day, December 8, 1941, the remaining Belgrade Jews were sent to the camp at the Old Fairground - Staro Sajmiste, Judanlager Semlin. They were sent to Staro Sajmiste with a clear objective to be killed. Everyone. Children, women, elderly, everyone. In just a few weeks, from April to May 10, 1942, six and a half thousand murders were committed against Jews in Belgrade.

Staro Sajmiste became and remains a symbol of the Holocaust in Serbia.

Today is December 8 - a day when we can talk about silence, the absence of a voice, about speechlessness.

The screams of the Jews were not heard from the depths of the gas van "dusegupka" - the mobile gas chamber truck, when the German officers drove the victims through central Belgrade: Nemanjina Street, Slavija square, past Karadjordje Park, Autokomanda, towards Jajinci. Their cries were not heard for the next 80 years. And they were not heard because we were quiet. We were speechless. Silence. Until finally, the Memorial Center "Staro Sajmiste" was started.

The Holocaust is an unprecedented crime in history. While Nazi Germany based its ideology on racist antisemitism and the dream of a new world order with a "living space" for the German nation, the destruction of Jews became not only the means but also the goal and purpose of the Third Reich's existence. When Germany is already effectively losing the war, the killing of Jews accelerates and intensifies in spite or precisely because of it.

The Holocaust is an unprecedented crime in history because behind the project to destroy a minority community stood the complete apparatus of a strong and modern German state, with all the resources, capacities, facilities, administration, logistics, and organization. All the segments, all the screws and gears of that powerful complex mechanism worked and turned with only one goal - to kill all the Jews. All ministries, from economy and agriculture, energy and transport, to culture, information, and education, through services for social and family affairs, ministries for youth and sports, to the police and the military, all worked diligently and meticulously to kill one entire people.

The Holocaust is an unprecedented crime in history because it was continent-wide, as the Nazis were not alone. They had helpers all over Europe who willingly and happily joined in this undertaking, often killing their Jewish neighbors and fellow citizens on their own initiative and without German participation, or arresting and handing Jews over to the Germans. In Serbia, too, we had collaborators and perpetrators: from Milan Nedi?, through Dimitrije Ljoti? and Kosta Pe?anac, and various nameless and petty people who used the opportunity to prosper and steal from someone else's suffering and misery.

The Holocaust is an unprecedented crime in history because it happened before the eyes of tens and tens of millions of silent observers who did not want to see, pretended not to see, or were afraid to see, and some, and not so rarely, rejoiced and supported what was happening. All those mute millions essentially made it possible for this crime to happen.

Behind this silence lays antisemitism, the oldest hatred, deeply embedded in the fabric of European cultural identity for centuries.

When the General Assembly of the United Nations voted on adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948, at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, most member countries supported the proposal. There were no votes against it, but eight countries abstained. Among them was Yugoslavia. No vote. No voice. Silence.

Today is December 8 - a terrible and difficult date in the history of Belgrade, in the history of Serbia, in the history of the world. I wish I could say that we will never be silent again, that we know better now.

But just a few weeks ago, a torrent of antisemitism erupted from the pores of the old continent everywhere, including in Serbia. It doesn't matter what the reason was; the fact is that antisemitism was there, maybe lurking, maybe in the shadows, but obviously very close to the surface. And when antisemitic narratives in Serbia first began to circulate on social networks, then on television, and then leaked to the streets, it did not take long until an attack took place on the premises of our friends NVO Haver Serbia with the graffiti on their door, "Haver out from Serbia!" Let's not be fooled - the message is addressed to all Jewish people in our country. This act of violence was publicly condemned by only a few lonely voices: our organization Terraforming, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Serbia, and a few days later, after our intervention, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the initiative of the Serbian delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance IHRA.

That's not enough voices. The silence is terrible. We do not have the luxury of allowing ourselves to be silent because what is at stake is the survival of those democratic social values and civil and human rights that were denied to the victims of the Holocaust and crimes against Serbs, Roma, and upstanders who opposed these crimes. That is too high a price to pay for silence.

That is why today, at this gathering, instead of silence, we offer "Some Words about the Holocaust in Serbia," an exhibition that talks about the suffering of the Serbian Jewish community, contemporary memory culture, and the challenges we are facing today. We will also hear the words of panelists talking about the intersections between the culture of human rights and memory culture.?

Thank you to everyone who is here today because today is December 8 - a terrible and difficult date in the history of Belgrade, in the history of Serbia, in the history of the world, but with your presence and participation, you make it meaningful, valuable, and loud. By no means silent.

Panel discussions

After the opening speeches, panel discussions with relevant stakeholders and actors followed. Among the panel participants, there was?

• H.E. Anke Konrad, German ambassador,?
• Ladislav Trajer, vice president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Serbia,
• Zlatomir Jovanovi? from the Roma Council of the Republic of Serbia,?
• Dejan Risti?, director of the Museum of Genocide Victims,?
• Marko Terzi? from the Memorial Museum “21st October” in Kragujevac,?
• Asja Dra?a Muntean from the Memorial Center “Staro Sajmiste,”?
• Dr. Dragana Stojanovi?, professor at the Faculty of Media and Communication,?
• Maja Kaskinov, teacher and activist.?

Mi?ko Stani?i? moderated the discussions.

Na srpskom:

75 dana za 75 godina Univerzalne deklaracije o ljudskim pravima

U okviru ?ireg programa "75 dana za 75 godina Univerzalne deklaracije o ljudskim pravima" u organizaciji Ministarstva za ljudska i manjinska prava i dru?tveni dijalog u saradnji sa NVO Terraforming i uz podr?ku Nema?ke ambasade, u petak 8. decembra 2023. godine u Etnografskom muzeju u Beogradu odr?an je program "Kultura ljudskih prava i kultura se?anja: Hilda Daj? - simbol i inspiracija".

Tom prilikom otvorena je izlo?ba "Neke re?i o Holokaustu u Srbiji" ?iji je autor Mi?ko Stani?i?, direktor Terraforminga. Odr?ana je i panel diskusija u kojoj su u?estvovali relevatni akteri kulture se?anja, koju je Mi?ko Stani?i? moderirao.?

Na po?etku programa prisutnima su se obratili: Tomislav ?igmanov, ministar, Ministarstvo za ljudska i manjinska prava i dru?tveni dijalog Republike Srbije; Goran Aleksi?, dr?avni sekretar u Ministarstvu spoljnih poslova, i ?ef delegacije Republike Srbije u Me?unarodnoj alijansi za se?anje na Holokaust IHRA; Danijela Vanu?i?, v.d. pomo?nice ministra u Ministarstvu kulture; Dejan Risti?, direktor Muzeja ?rtava genocida;?Marko Krsti?, direktor Etnografskog muzeja; i Mi?ko Stani?i?, direktor NVO Terraforming.?

Govor

Moj govor na otvaranju izlo?be:

Jedan klasi?an narativ o nastanku Univerzalne deklaracije o ljudskim pravima je da je ?ovje?anstvo suo?eno sa u?asima i posljedicama najve?eg svjetskog rata u istoriji, razaranjima i zlo?inima u kojima posebno mjesto ima Holokaust, zanijemilo, i da su ponukani ovom stra?nom lekcijom, predstavnici zemalja svijeta dogovorili da se slo?imo oko jednog dokumenta u kojem ?e se eksplicitno navesti osnovna ljudska prava koja nikada vi?e ne smiju da se dovode u pitanje. Ka?u: svijet je "zanijemio". U stvari je ovaj narativ su?tinski pogre?an. Svijet tada nije zanijemio, nego je tek tada, veoma kasno, prekasno - progovorio. A bio je nijem kada niko nije smio da bude nijem. Bio je nijem i okretao glavu ?est miliona puta.

Danas je 8. decembar. Jedan stra?an i te?ak datum u istoriji Beograda, u istoriji Srbije. Na dana?nji dan, 8. decembra 1941. godine, preostali beogradski Jevreji poslani su u logor na Starom sajmi?tu - Judanlager Semlin, "Jevrejski logor Zemun". Poslani su na Staro sajmi?te sa kristalno jasnim ciljem - da budu ubijeni. Svi. Djeca, ?ene, starci, svi. U samo nekoliko nedelja od aprila do 10. maja 1942. godine, ?est ipo hiljada puta se desilo ubistvo jednog Jevrejina u Beogradu.?

Staro sajmi?te je postalo i ostalo simbol Holokausta u Srbiji.

Danas je 8. decembar. Dan kada mo?emo govoriti o ti?ini, o izostanku glasa, o nijemima.

Krici Jevreja nisu se ?uli iz dubine du?egupke, kamiona pokretne gasne komore, dok su ih nema?ki podoficiri vozili kroz Nemanjinu ulicu, preko Slavije, pored Kara?or?evog parka, preko Autokomande, putem Jajinaca. Nisu se ?uli ti krici ni sljede?ih 80 godina. A nisu se ?uli zato ?to se nisu ?uli na?i glasovi. Bili smo nijemi. Vladala je ti?ina. Sve dok, najzad, nije zapo?eto stvaranje Memorijalnog centra "Staro sajmi?te".

Holokaust je zlo?in bez presedana u istoriji. Nacisti?ka Njema?ka je svoju ideologiju zasnovala na rasisti?kom antisemitizmu, a pred snom o novom svjetskim poretku i ?ivotnom prostoru za Njema?ku naciju, uni?tenje Jevreja je Tre?em rajhu postalo ne samo sredstvo, nego i cilj i smisao sopstvenog postojanja. Jer kada Njema?ka ve? uveliko gubi rat, ubijanje Jevreja se uprkos tome, ili ba? zbog toga, ubrzava i i intenzivira.?

Holokaust je zlo?in bez presedana u istoriji jer je iza projekta uni?tenja jedne manjinske zajednice stao kompletan aparatus sna?ne i moderne njema?ke dr?ave, sa svim resursima, kapacitetima, administracijom, organizacijom. Svi segmenti, svi ?arafi i zup?anici tog mo?nog kompleksnog mehanizma radili su i okretali se sa samo jednim ciljem - ubiti sve Jevreje. Sva ministarstva, od privrede i poljoprivrede, energetike i saobra?aja, do kulture, informacija i obrazovanja, preko slu?bi za socijalna i porodi?na pitanja, ministarstva za omladinu i sport, do policije i vojske, svi su radili, marljivo i pedantno, kako bi ubili jedan cijeli narod.?

Holokaust je zlo?in bez presedana u istoriji jer se odigrao na cijelom evropskom kontinentu, po?to nacisti nisu bili sami. Imali su pomaga?e ?irom Evrope koji su se svojevoljno i rado uklju?ili u ovaj poduhvat, nerijetko samoinicijativno i bez njema?kog u?e??a ubijali svoje jevrejske kom?ije i sugra?ane, ili su ih hapsili i predavali Nijemcima. I u Srbiji smo imali kolaboracioniste i zlo?ince: od Milana Nedi?a, preko Dimitrija Ljoti?a i Koste Pe?anca, i raznih bezimenih i sitnih koji su koristili priliku da od tu?e nesre?e ne?to ukradu i u?i?are.

Holokaust je zlo?in bez presedana u istoriji jer se de?avao pred o?ima desetina i desetina miliona nijemih posmatra?a, koji nisu ?eljeli da vide, ili su se pravili da ne vide, ili su se pla?ili da vide, a neki, i to ne tako rijetko, su se i radovali i podr?avali to ?to se de?avalo. Svi ti milioni nijemih su su?tinski omogu?ili da se ovaj zlo?in dogodi.?

Iza ove ti?ine, u mnogome se krije antisemitizam, najstarija mr?nja, vijekovima duboko usa?ivana u tkivo evropskog kulturnog identiteta.

Kada je 10. decembra 1948. godine u palati ?ajo u Parizu Generalna skup?tina Ujedinjenih nacija glasala o usvajanju Univerzalne deklaracije o ljudskim pravima, velika ve?ina zemalja ?lanica je podr?ala predlog. Nije bilo glasova protiv, ali je 8 zemalja bilo uzdr?ano. Me?u njima je bila i Jugoslavija. Bez glasa. Nijema.?

Danas je 8. decembar. Jedan stra?an i te?ak datum u istoriji Beograda, u istoriji Srbije, u istoriji svijeta. ?elio bih da mogu da ka?em da vi?e nikada ne?emo biti nijemi, da sada znamo bolje.

Ali prije samo nekoliko nedelja bujica antisemitizma je izbila iz pora starog kontinenta, svuda, pa i u Srbiji. Nije va?no ?ta je bio povod, ?injenica je da je antisemitizam bio tu, mo?da pritajen, mo?da u sjenci, ali o?igledno vrlo blizu povr?ine. I kada su antisemitski narativi u na?oj zemlji prvo po?eli da kuljaju na dru?tvenim mre?ama, pa na televizijama, pa procurili na ulice, nije pro?lo dugo dok se nije desio napad na prostorije na?ih drugara iz organizacije Haver Srbija. Sa grafitom na njihovim vratima "Haver mar? iz Srbije", nemojmo se zavravati, poruka je upu?ena ?itavom jevrejskom narodu u na?oj zemlji. Ovaj ?in nasilja, osudilo je samo par usamljenih glasova - na?a organizacija Terraforming, Savez jevrejskih op?tina Srbije, i nakon par dana i Ministarstvo spoljnih poslova na inicijativu delegacije Republike Srbije u Me?unarodnoj alijansi za se?anje na Holokaust.?

To nije dovoljno glasova. Ti?ina je stra?na. Mi nemamo taj luksuz da sebi dozvoljavamo da budemo nijemi, jer u pitanju je opstanak upravo onih dru?tvenih vrijednosti, gra?anskih i ljudskih prava koja su bila uskra?ena ?rtvama Holokausta i zlo?ina nad Srbima, Romima i onima koji su se zlo?inu suprotstavili. To je previsoka cijena za ?utanje.

Zato danas, na ovom skupu, umjesto ?utanja nudimo "Neke rije?i o Holokaustu u Srbiji", izlo?bu koja govori o stradanju jevrejske zajednice, o kulturi sje?anja i izazovima sa kojima se nosimo. ?u?emo i rije?i u?esnika panela o kulturi ljudskih prava i kulturi se?anja. Hvala svima koji ste danas ovde, jer danas je 8. decembar, jedan stra?an i te?ak datum u istoriji Beograda, u istoriji Srbije, u istoriji svijeta, ali ga va?im prisustvom i u?e??em ?inite smislenim, vrijednim, i glasnim. Nikako nijemim.