Macedonia
Subscribe
Bulgaria And Macedonia In Diverse Commemorations Of Holocaust-Related Anniversaries
From The Sofia Globe >> Bulgaria held ceremonies on March 10 commemorating the 70th anniversary of the prevention of the deportation of Bulgarian Jews to Nazi Holocaust death camps and honouring the memory of the victims from Northern Greece and Yugoslavia, while in Macedonia, commemorations were to be held on March 11 for the thousands of Jews sent to Treblinka. In Sofia, ceremonies were held at Parliament, with mayor Yordanka Fandukova unveiling a plaque, and there was a commemorative event held at the Synagogue, with the ambassadors of Israel and several other countries in attendance as well as Jewish community more »
Macedonia Holocaust Museum Damaged During Demonstrations
From the JTA >> The Holocaust museum in Macedonia was damaged in a surge of violence that erupted in the country’s capital. Protesters over the weekend damaged the Holocaust Memorial Center for the Jews of Macedonia in Skopje and the glass area of the Macedonian Museum of History, and broke several windows of a new theater under construction, according to Sitel.com.mk, a news website. The hostilities broke out March 2 when police used tear gas to break up a demonstration by ethnic Albanian youths in support of newly named Defense Minister Talmut Xhaferi, a former leader of Albanian guerrillas who more »
Posted in Macedonia
Comments Off
Macedonia, Bulgaria Attempt to Improve Relations
From SETimes >> In an effort to mend fences months after Bulgaria blocked Macedonia’s EU entrance, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov invited his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Gruevski to Sofia. Borisov said that Skopje can count on Bulgarian support on its road to EU and NATO, and expressed interest in discussing economic topics, such as the construction of the Sofia-Skopje-Tirana highway. So far, however, there has been no response from Skopje to Borisov’s invitation. The relationship between the two countries further soured after the premiere of the Macedonian movie and Oscar award nominee “Third Half,” which illustrates Bulgaria’s participation in the Holocaust. more »
Posted in Bulgaria, Latest News, Macedonia
Comments Off
Macedonia: EU Commission Advises Bulgaria To Start Legal Proceedings Against ‘The Third Half’ Film
From FOCUS The European Commission said it would not take sides in the dispute between Bulgaria and Macedonia over the cultural-historical heritage, but also suggests who the two countries to overcome tension after the release of The Third Halftime film, Macedonian Kanal 5 television channel commented. In an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) EU Commission spokesman Peter Stano urged Bulgaria to start legal proceedings to resolve the dispute. The television highlights that Stano’s message comes two days after the EU Commissioner Stefan Fule called to find a way to improve relations between Skopje and Sofia three days after more »
Macedonian And Jewish People Have A Long Common Tradition
From the President of the Republic of Macedonia The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, met today the President of the World Jewish Congress, Mr. Ronald Lauder, accompanied by a delegation of the Secretary General of the Jewish communities in Germany, Mr. Stefan Kramer and the Honorary Consul of Israel to Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Victor Mizrahi. At the meeting, both sides expressed mutual satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the State of Israel, characterized by a high level of friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation. Macedonia, as President Ivanov stressed, more »
Posted in Macedonia
Comments Off
Cepreganov: Bulgaria Must Apologise for WW2
Not entirely within the remit of this blog, but a fascinating article on modern, “neighbouring” relationships, within southeastern Europe, offering an insight also into how history, particularly the destruction of European Jewry, can be used as a contemporary political tool (the subject of my PhD, so this article is rather exciting for me). From the Macedonian International News Agency ‘Scientists’ in Sofia are requesting that Skopje accept that in the past the two peoples had the same roots which was severed after World War II. Macedonian historians say that any discussion with Sofia is possible only when their Bulgarian counterparts more »
Posted in Bulgaria, Latest News, Macedonia
Comments Off
“Keeping the Memory Alive” Exhibition Opened in Skopje and Bitola
From the ITF On 25 January, the governmental coordination body for Holocaust Remembrance Day, which includes representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Science, and Ministry of Culture, issued a public statement for the press on the significance of the UN-mandated Day of Commemoration to honor the victims of the Holocaust. Mr. Pande Lazarevski Ph.D, Vice-President of the Holocaust Fund for Jews, gave several interviews for national TV channels in preparation for the events held on the 27th. Events in Skopje in included a lecture on the significance of Holocaust Remembrance Day by Dr. Danica Popovska, more »
Posted in Macedonia
Comments Off
Jewish Communities of the Former Yugoslavia
One of the most pleasurable results of running a blog, such as Lemberik, is that occasionally one chances upon new Eastern European Jewish community websites. One of these is the Bejahad initiative: http://www.bejahad.com/index.html. Though no detailed information in English exist (though an English version of the website is stated to be forthcoming), and I do not speak Croatian, I gather that the purpose of Bejahad is to bridge and maintain links between Jewish communities found in the former Yugoslavia nation states. A very interesting initiative: if anyone happens to have more information, please contact me. Below is a loose, ‘Google’, more »
Posted in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia
Comments Off
Honouring Macedonia’s Lost Jewish Community
From Michael Petrou, published at Macleans.ca The fate of Macedonia’s Jewish community during the Second World War was unique only in the thoroughness of its destruction. Just after midnight on March 11, 1943, Bulgarian troops occupying the Yugoslav republic surrounded the three cities containing large Jewish populations. “Following what had become the standard system, this operation was carried out at a single stroke with great cruelty,” writes Leni Yahil in her seminal history of the Holocaust. More than 7,000 Jews were rounded up and sent to the Treblinka death camp. Twelve lived. Of a pre-war population of approximately 8,000, some more »
Posted in Macedonia
Leave a comment
Memorial Center of the Holocaust of Jews from Macedonia Opens
Any Holocaust museum or educational centre that opens, in Europe and further afield, intrigues me. Each country has its own unique form of remembrance and attitude towards issues pertaining to the Shoah. This isn’t really news, as the Macedonian centre opened in Skopje back in March this year (2011). Never-the-less, as I wish to build up a considerable amount of content for each CEE country, such posts are necessary. The article below from the Macedonian Information Agency offers a good introduction to the issue of Holocaust remembrance in the Balkans. Click here for the original article Lessons from the Holocaust more »
Posted in Macedonia
Leave a comment
