Remembrance is our moral duty, and the fight against hatred is our historical responsibility, Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said in his address at Wednesday’s observance of the 83rd anniversary of the deportation of 7.144 Macedonian Jews to the Treblinka death camp.
“Today we stand in silence and with deep respect before one of the most painful pages in our history and we remember the deportation of Macedonian Jews, a tragedy that has forever marked our collective memory,” said the Macedonian PM.
“In March 1943, more than seven thousand of our fellow citizens – Jews from Skopje, Bitola and Shtip – were forcibly rounded up, taken from their homes, from their families, from their lives. They were deported to the Treblinka death camp, where their lives were cruelly cut short. Behind that number stand names, families, dreams, talents, destinies. There are people who were part of the fabric of our cities, of trade, of culture, of the spirit of Macedonia. With their disappearance, our country lost a part of its soul,” noted Mickoski.
The Prime Minister also emphasized that “today we do not only remember a tragedy, but also the obligation to prevent hatred, anti-Semitism, racism and intolerance in our society.”
He stressed that the Jewish community has left an indelible mark on the history of this country, and its contribution to culture, education, economy and social life is part of our common heritage.
The president of the Jewish Community in Macedonia, Pepo Levi, and the German Ambassador Petra Drexler also addressed the commemoration.
