In his address, President Pendarovski reminded of the tragic fate of the Macedonian Jews, and, as he said, the monstrosities that happened on the territory of today’s Republic of North Macedonia in World War II, and that the world should know more about them.

-7144 Jews were taken from the territory of today’s Republic of North Macedonia to Treblinka. They were all killed there. That is 98 percent of the entire Jewish population that lived in that region, in that region of the Balkans at that time. I speak of 1943, when all these people were taken from their homes. According to some relevant historical sources it is also, unfortunately, the highest percent in Europe of a Jewish population that was taken and killed in concentration camps, had said President Pendarovski, his Cabinet announced today.

The President reminded that in memory of all those people, in 2011, the Holocaust Memorial Center was built in Skopje, and highlighted that until now, thousands of people have visited it and have learned of the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany and their allies.

President Pendarovski announced at the forum that our country has decided to make several more efforts in the near future.

-We will increase the number of classes on the Holocaust and antisemitism in the final grades in elementary school and we will make the classes mandatory, secondly – we will make visits to the Holocaust Memorial Center in Skopje mandatory for all kids, students in elementary and high school, and the third effort is that our government has already adopted a working definition for Anti-Gypsyism and discrimination against the Roma people”, emphasized President Pendarovski in his address at the forum.

Translation: N. Cvetkovska