26.05.2010.

"Medals for the Righteous" awarded

In the Belgrade Temple Sukat Shalom a ceremony “ Medals for the Righteous Among the Nations”was held, a traditional acknowledgment awarded by the State of Israel and Yad Vashem, on behalf of the Jewish people, are awarded to non-Jews who rescued Jews during WWII.

The ambassador of Israel to Belgrade Arthur Kohl in his address to the present, among whom were Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac, Minister of Foreign Vuk Jeremic and the Israeli Minister of Science and Technology Daniel Hreskovic, expressed his gratitude and respect for such outstanding acts of humanity and such deeds performed by Randjel Stojanovic, Marija Tomic, Milica and Mihailo Bogicevic as well as Simeon and Miroslava Protic, who hid Jewish families, thus risking their own lives.

Reminding the present of such heart-rendering scenes from the movie “Schindler’s list” which depict the tribulations and atrocities committed towards the Jewish people, emphasizing that his own mother was taken to Plashov, a Nazi concentration camp where Schindler later built a factory and rescued so many of Jewish people. “These scenes sum up the reason why we have gathered here this evening, as Ambassador Kohl said. Such heroes as Randjel Stojanovic, Marija Tomic, Milica and Mihailo Bogicevic as well as Simeon and Miroslava Proticwere well aware in what kind of danger they could find themselves. At the time when the world was torn in a war between good and evil, when Serbia itself was under the Nazi boot, these brave, selfless men and women just obeyed what Talmud says: “he, who saves one life, may as well have saved the entire world”.

The guest of honor of the ceremony of the “Medal for the Righteous”, Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac, said in his address that the 20th century would be remembered for its great advancements and huge progress, as well as by the greatest destruction and atrocities in the history of mankind”. Reminding that at the start of WWII, a life of a German equaled 100 Serbs, Sutanovac said that his fact alone made this medal even more valuable.

He stated that we are very proud of our Jewish community today, but I am convinced that the Jewish community is also very proud seeing Serbia building a democratic society according to all European values, where each human being and each nation are respected and protected, regardless of their ethnicity or religion.
In the future, Serbia will continue to build a modern society with its Israeli friends, and I hope that mankind will never find itself again in a situation where it has to demonstrate its good side while risking lives, and by saving people just because they look, think differently or believe in different things:, said Sutanovac in his thank-you note while expressing his admiration for all the previous and future individuals deserving of the award.

The speakers at the ceremony were the Israeli Minister of Science and Technology Daniel Hreskovic, the rabbi of the Jewish community in Serbia Isac Asiel and ambassador Arthur Kohl, who presented the medals to the descendants of Randjel Stojanovic, Marija Tomic, Milica and Mihailo Bogicevic as well as Simeon and Miroslava Proticwere.

Tragic stories of their sacrifice to rescue the Dannon and Papo families as well as the family of Eva Djordjevic and other Jews were read by Vanja Ejdus, while Aleksandar Simic’s compositions were performed as written especially for this occasion.