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Today is #InternationalHolocaustRemembranceDay 
. On this day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, we would like to remember the countless people who perished during the Holocaust in the Balkans and in particular Yugoslavia.
. On this day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, we would like to remember the countless people who perished during the Holocaust in the Balkans and in particular Yugoslavia.
During the Holocaust in the Yugoslavia, thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured and murdered by the Nazi occupiers and Ustasha puppet state of Croatia, the Independent State of Croatia (NDH).
The Ustasha regime with the support of many apathetic bystanders carried out genocide primarily against the Serb, Jewish and Roma population in Yugoslavia.
Photo credit: Muzej Revolucije Narodnosti Jugoslavije
Photo credit: Muzej Revolucije Narodnosti Jugoslavije
Those who opposed the regime were not exempt from torture or murder. According to @HolocaustMuseum "between 5,000 and 12,000 ethnic [Catholic] Croats and [Yugoslav] Muslims" were murdered because they resisted the regime. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/jasenovac
Jasenovac was one of the 10th largest camps in Europe and was a complex of 5 concentration camps: Krapje, Brocica, Ciglana, Kozara and Stara Gradiska. It was dubbed the Auschwitz of the Balkans.
Video credit: @WorldJewishCong
Video credit: @WorldJewishCong
These five camps spread over an area of 210 square kilometers (81 square miles). Four of these camps were located in Croatia and one camp, Kozara, was located in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
About 66,000 of Yugoslavia’s 80,000 Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Jewish prisoners made up most of the victims of Jasenovac from 1941-1942. According to the @HolocaustMuseum, over 30,000 Croatian Jews were killed either in Croatia or at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The primary targets of the NDH’s genocidal policy were Serbian people. The policy that began with the destruction of Orthodox churches and forced baptisms in '41 and culminated in the murder of 45,000-52,000 Serbs in Jasenovac alone. The Ustashe killed ~312,000 Serb civilians.
The Ustashe killed between 15,000 and 20,000 Roma at Jasenovac. Roma prisoners were either immediately executed or given the hardest labor assignments; almost none survived. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/tags/en/tag/yugoslavia
To learn more about the Roma and Sinti genocide during WW2, we recommend viewing the documentary "A Hole in the Head", by director Robert Kirchhoff. https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/education/films-about-the-holocaust-of-sinti-and-roma/a-hole-in-the-head/
Jasenovac was the largest and longest-operating of the NDH’s 30 concentration camps. It is estimated that between 56,000 and 97,000 people were murdered there, although the Ustashe forces and accomplices destroyed the records so exact numbers are hard to find.
Jasenovac prisoners were subject to torture that shocked even the Nazis. Survival depended on the whims of sadistic guards. The Ustasha forces brutally murdered adults and children in ways designed to prolong suffering, primarily with knives and hammers.
“Ustashas beat the inmates with just about anything--whatever is handy. They killed them right at the dam--with shovels, rifles, wooden spears--whoever is sick and falls--only hit, hit.” From the testimony of Boris Ševa.
Survivors played the most important role after WWII in accounting for who was murdered. Listening to their testimonies helps us remember the thousands of people who were tortured and murdered.
Yugoslav Voices from the Holocaust by @Yale
Yugoslav Voices from the Holocaust by @Yale
Today, Croatian authorities are attempting to minimize the crimes of the NDH and the suffering of the thousands of people who were tortured and/or killed in during the Holocaust. https://balkaninsight.com/2017/11/24/selective-amnesia-croatia-s-holocaust-deniers-11-16-2017/
Ustasha slogans are found on official plaques and are sometimes even heard during sporting events. https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/31/in-croatia-nazi-sympathizers-are-welcome-to-join-the-party-thompson-ustashe-fascism/
Nationalistic organizations dedicated to denying the genocide particularly of the Serbian population are very vocal especially in the diaspora. https://balkaninsight.com/2018/01/05/croatian-far-right-draws-strength-from-diaspora-01-04-2018/
Never again should the crimes of Jasenovac be repeated and yet we have seen the same outcomes again and again. Hateful words turn into deadly actions and if there are no consequences for genocidal rhetoric we can expect the most inhumane results. #HolocaustRemembranceDay
So today we also remember the Yugoslav victims of the Holocaust and we recognize that it happened on our soil. We are committed to providing education about the Holocaust and ask our followers to join our book club to learn more.
Join here: https://airtable.com/shrdOGSbmqV2R5Uob
Join here: https://airtable.com/shrdOGSbmqV2R5Uob
