Multimillion-dollar Holocaust museum opens in Macedonia
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Robert Singer, the executive vice president of the World Jewish Congress, were among the other dignitaries who attended the museum opening.
The capital of this Balkan nation of 2 million people saw the dedication of a multi million-dollar Holocaust museum that has been called one of the finest institutions of its kind.
Macedonia, a landlocked country north of Greece, had a Jewish population of about 8,000 before the Holocaust, “and more than 98 percent of them were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators,” Michael Berenbaum, a former director of the U.S. Holocaust Museum’s research institute, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
That’s part of the reason that an institution of the magnitude of the new museum, which according to Macedonian media cost $23m to build, is “appropriate” in Skopje, he said.
The funding came from restitution money paid in 2000 by the government to the local Jewish community, which is now comprised of about 200 members.
WJC CEO Robert Singer visited #Skopje's #Holocaust Memorial Center w/ #NorthMacedonia PM @Zoran_Zaev and Jerusalem Minister @zeev_elkin. A great example of how Holocaust history should be presented to European societies. The museum is a must for all who visit the Balkans. pic.twitter.com/AQsoxVPcBE
— WJC (@WorldJewishCong) March 11, 2019
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Robert Singer, the executive vice president of the World Jewish Congress, were among the other dignitaries who attended the museum opening.
The museum, a three-story building located in the Macedonian capital’s museum quarter, includes unique displays such as hundreds of suitcases dangling from the ceiling, a transport wagon similar to ones used to transport the Macedonian Jews to be murdered, and a tank engine of the kind used to produce deadly gas for the gas chamber of Treblinka, where Macedonian Jews were killed.
Skopje, North Macedonia: WJC CEO Robert Singer laid flowers in memory of the 7,000 Macedonian Jews deported to Treblinka during the #Holocaust 76 years ago, at a commemoration ceremony at the Old Monopol Tobacco Factory – the same place where Jews were deported from. #WeRemember pic.twitter.com/AyrzBLzQJL
— WJC (@WorldJewishCong) March 11, 2019
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
