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Buenos Aires: Ambassador Bacovic on Jews in Serbia
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altArgentinian "Vis-à-vis" portal on 3 August ran an author text by Ambassador Jela Bacovic on the Jewish community in Serbia. In the text, Ambassador Bacovic covered the period since the settlement of the Jews in the territory of Serbia in the 16th century until the present day, stressing that they have always occupied an important and distinguished place in our society, with trade and fine craftsmanship as their line of business.
 
"Difficult times and struggle against several centuries-old rule of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans peninsula, motivated the Jews to fight along the Serbs for their new homeland, which has been recorded and documented in our history. The prominent Jews of that time, David Albala, a hero of the Balkans and the Great War, Theodor Herzl and Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai, played important roles in promoting the Jewish question in Serbia. As a result, Serbia was among the first countries to support the Balfour Declaration of 1917. By way of gratitude to these prominent personalities and proven friends, two streets in Belgrade have been named after Theodor Herzl and Rabbi Alkalai," the text said.
 
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Ambassador Bacovic pointed out that in order to vehemently stand against anti-Semitism, xenophobia and attempts at revising the Holocaust history, the Government of Serbia made a decision to join International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), adopting on 1 July along with Argentina and a group of 31 countries, the Working Definition of Anti-Semitism to advance the struggle towards these important and noble goals.
 
"Examples of friendship between the Serbs and Jews during those difficult times provide a firm foundation to build ties between those two peoples, scattered the world over. With this in mind, the decisions of our Government in connection with the Jewish questions enjoy wide support in our society. In 2016, the Government of Serbia decided to restitute all nationalized property belonging to all victims of Holocaust whether or not they have surviving relatives and make it available to the Jewish communities registered in Serbia. A significant sum from the Serbian budget is allocated every year to support Jewish associations and their projects. Even though not enough it is yet another gesture of appreciation and support", Ambassador Bacovic wrote.