Jews and Muslims come together to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina. This joint observation aims to promote compassion and dialogue amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict while highlighting the shared experiences of persecution between the two communities.
Organized by the center that preserves the memory of Europe's only acknowledged genocide since the Holocaust, the event focuses on the massacre that took place in Srebrenica during Bosnia's interethnic war from 1992 to 1995. More than 8,000 Muslim Bosniaks lost their lives in this tragedy.
The gathering serves as a reminder that Bosnian Muslims and Jews are bound together through history. Husein Kavazovic, the head of Bosnia's Islamic Community, emphasizes the intricate ties between the two communities, forged during both challenging and prosperous times. He states that, like Jews, Bosnian Muslims have also faced attempts to destroy and eradicate their people. In light of the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia, Kavazovic calls for renewed unity and care among neighbors.
Menachem Rosensaft, a child of Holocaust survivors and former general counsel for the World Jewish Congress, also attends the event. Rosensaft has previously led delegations of Jewish scholars and diplomats at ceremonies commemorating the Srebrenica massacre. He expresses the importance of remembering and mourning together, turning their tears into prayers of remembrance and hope. Rosensaft highlights the significance of this commemoration as an opportunity to commit to preventing future atrocities and to stand against antisemitism, Islamophobia, bigotry, xenophobia, and hatred.
Rosensaft shares stories of Bosnian Muslims who risked their lives to save their Jewish neighbors during the Holocaust, as well as Bosnian Jews who aided their Muslim neighbors during the country's internecine war, which took place about 50 years later. He calls for collective action to change the future, prevent further destruction and violence, and reject all forms of hatred.
Following the commemoration, the Srebrenica Muslim-Jewish Peace and Remembrance Initiative is launched. This initiative, devised and signed by Rosensaft and Kavazovic, represents a commitment to collaboration in times of crisis, consistent and compassionate communication, remembrance of past genocide victims, and the rejection of all forms of bigotry. The signing ceremony is witnessed by Munira Subašic, a survivor of the Srebrenica massacre, and Jakob Finci, the leader of Bosnia's Jewish community, who himself was born in a concentration camp in 1943.
This event serves as a powerful testament to the resilience and unity of these two communities, who have endured unspeakable suffering throughout history. Together, they strive to promote peace, understanding, and the prevention of future atrocities.
