Speech by Antun Babic at the reception at the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne

Transcription

1 Monday, 6 th of May 2013 Speech by Antun Babic at the reception at the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne Shalom and dobro došli. Welcome and it is my distinct pleasure to be here tonight with you on this special occasion. John, thank you very much for your kind and generous introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, let me start by expressing my most sincere gratitude and appreciation to Nina Bassat, president of the JCCV, for her kind words, for organizing this event and for inviting members of the Australian Croatian community to participate in a yet another historic step in building closer, stronger bonds between the Croatian and Jewish communities in Victoria, and Australia. There are so many people that I would like to acknowledge this evening. In fact, everybody who is here tonight deserves to be mentioned. You are all friends of the JCCV and have helped make the JCCV the success it is today. Allow me, however, due to time constraints, follow protocol as briefly as possible. I wish to acknowledge the wonderful host of this evening s event, Nina Bassat, president of the JCCV David Southwick MP for Caulfield, representing Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship, Nicholas Kotsiras Councillor Jamie Hyams, Mayor of Glen Eira John Searle, Chairman of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission Joe Caputo Chairman of Ethnic Community Council of Victoria Jenny Matic, Commissioner at the Victorian Multicultural Commission Pauline Rockman, President of the Jewish Holocaust Centre Warren Fineberg, Executive Director the Jewish Holocaust Centre Ivan Skratulja, President of the Croatian World Congress Branch in Victoria, Mario Grgic, Secretary of the Croatian Community Centre Geelong Ante Radic, President of the Croatian Social Club Sunshine Boris Jakovac, Coordinator of the Croatian Radio Program at the Ethnic Radio 3 ZZZ 1

2 George Sabljak, Editor in Chief of the Croatian Herald I am particularly pleased to acknowledge several leading Australian university lecturers and a worldwide know scientists of Croatian background. Since they have many and long titles, I will use just one of them. They are: Professor Frances Separovic and Professor Ivan Marusic, from the Melbourne University, Dr. Ilija Sutalo from CSIRO and my good friend Dr. Hariz Halilovich from the Monash University. Dr. Halilovich is of Bosnian background. I am also pleased to acknowledge my friend and colleague Marijan Gubic, who was raised in Australia but joined the Croatian foreign service during the formative period of Croatia s independence. It also gives me a great pleasure to acknowledge the presence of the community hero, Vlado Prsa, who earlier this year saved a father and his disabled son from a burning car, after the car crash in Bentleigh. Both the father and the son came within seconds of losing their lives. I think Vlado deserves a round of applause. Ladies and gentleman, I wish to express my gratitude to Warren Finberg for giving us the opportunity to tour the Holocaust Centre and for his explanation about the role of the Centre. This is my third visit to this Centre. Early in 2012 I was here with Professor Gorka Vuletic, from Croatia, whose grandfather, Dr. Ante Vuletic, is one of more than a hundred Croatian citizens who have been awarded status of righteous amongst the nations who risked their lives to help save the Jewish people in Croatia during the Second World War. For the last four years, together with my wife Janja, I have been attending Yom Hashoah Commemoration here in Melbourne. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to John Searle and Nina Bassat for giving me the opportunity to gain a much deeper understanding of the horrible suffering of the Jewish people during the Second World War. Ladies and gentlemen, my English vocabulary does not allow me to fully describe my feeling of sadness and sorrow; it is just so incomprehensible that the Holocaust and this crime against the humanity could happen. Also in those moments one cannot stop asking what should and must we all do to make sure that a horrible crime that was committed against the Jewish people never happens again to any people or nation in the world? Please allow me, therefore, to echo the words the President of the United States. During the visit to the The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on April 23, 2012 President Obama said the following: During my visit to Yad Vashem I was given a gift, inscribed with those words: has the like of this happened in your days or in the days of your father? Tell your children about it, and let your children tell theirs and their children the next generation. Then he added that, that s why we are here. Not simply to remember, but to speak. President Obama then continued to say: For the Holocaust, may have reached its barbaric climax at Treblinka and Auschwitz and Belzec, but it started in the hearts of ordinary men and women. And we see it again madness that can sweep through peoples, sweep through 2

3 nations, embed itself. The killings in Cambodia, the killings in Rwanda, the killings in Bosnia, the killings of Darfur, they shock our conscience, stressed President Obama. Here I feel compelled to also mention the killings in the Croatian city of Vukovar, when in November1991 hundreds of seriously sick and helpless Croatians have been taken away from their hospital beds by the Serbian paramilitaries, and after being tortured they were all executed in cold blood and buried in an unmarked mass grave on a farm. This massacre was later a subject of an official investigation by the Hague War Crimes Tribunal. In his speech Obama also said: never again is a challenge to reject hatred in all its forms including anti-semitism, which has no place in a civilized world. May I at this point also mention that in Croatia the Holocaust is a part of a compulsory teaching in all Croatian schools. Also, from May 19 to May 25 this year the Croatian Capital city of Zagreb will host the seventh Zagreb Jewish Film Festival. What makes this festival unique in the world is the commitment to the subject of the Holocaust, as well as education of all generations, especially school children, through various lectures and workshops. The film program consists of feature, documentary and short films thematically related to Holocaust, while evening projections involve mostly films of newer Israeli production. Let me also briefly say that the Croatian President Dr. Ivo Josipovic had visited Israel in February last year. Apart from meeting with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, President Josipovic also spoke at Knesset, the highest chamber of Israel s democracy. After this visit the Embassy of the State of Israel in Zagreb issued a statement in which it expressed its gratitude and appreciation for the Croatian President s visit to Israel. This visit constitutes a new phase in the close friendship between both countries, based on common values and will contribute to further strengthening strategic and bilateral relations, it was said in the statement. In August this year Israeli Embassy in Croatia is organizing an event called Israel Magic summer in Istria, which is lately known as Croatian Tuscany. It is the third such event in Croatia in the last few years, and the visitors will have a chance to enjoy magic of Israeli artists, musicians and singers. Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot change the past. However, by having a much better understanding and insights into what had happened and why it happened in the past, we can give ourselves a greater chance to minimize the possibility of repeating the same mistakes and dilemmas in the future. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, in my life I had a number of truly special days, which I will never forget. Today s event is one of those very, very special days. As a member of the Croatian community in Australia from 1969 to 1990, I have never even dreamed that one day I will be the Consul General in Melbourne, representing free, independent and democratic state of Croatia. 3

4 Due to the circumstances that existed at the time, which I will not talk about this evening, it was even much more difficult to foresee that a day will come when the Jewish community in Victoria will organize a farewell event for the Croatian Consul General in Melbourne. Some people do not believe in miracles, but I am convinced that miracles are possible if you want them to happen and if you have determined, strong and visionary community leaders. I have no hesitation in saying that John Searle is such a leader and I wish to express my most sincere gratitude to John for his wisdom and sincerity in accepting my proposal three years ago, after the incident at the Australian Open, that the Croatian and Jewish communities in Victoria should enter into the dialogue and start talking to each other to remove some of the barriers, artificial or not, that existed between the communities. It has to be re-stated that if it were not for John s leadership qualities and personal courage, as well as his long-term vision, we would not be here tonight. Of course, in this, John was fully supported by other JCCV leaders and members and I wish to thank them all for their willingness to open to me and to listen to what Croatia and the Croatian community in Victoria has to say. John, may I also to thank you and your wife Ginette for your most valuable personal friendship and the hospitality on many occasions that you and Ginette have extended to both Janja and myself. Now, I also would like to acknowledge equally significant and important role of Nina Bassat in the development of the cooperation between the two communities. Nina took over from John when he stepped down from his position of President of the JCCV and has worked hard to get us were we are now. Thank you very much Nina. I think at this point I should just very briefly catalogue what has transpired since John and I meet for the first time early in After several long coffee meetings John and I started to discuss the ways of how to bring the two communities to open up to each other. In April 2010, Janja and I were invited by JCCV, as diplomatic representatives of Croatia, to our first Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Commemoration in April From April 2010 to July 2011, we continued to meet at John s home with other Jewish community leaders present and at the Jewish community National Day or other celebrations. On 15 th of July 2011 John came to visit the Croatian Consulate in Melbourne. This was the first time that the Jewish leader had visited the Croatian diplomatic mission in Australia, and perhaps in the world. Soon after, John and I, accompanied by Ginette and Janja, met at the Max Brenner Chocolate Shop on 12 th of August 2011 to discuss holding a formal meeting between the Croatian and Jewish communities later in the year. We also met a few times in the Croatian restaurant in Port Melbourne. 4

5 On the 13 th of November 2011, in a very friendly atmosphere, some twenty members of the Croatian community from Melbourne and Geelong meet for the first time with the members of the JCCV. The meeting was held at Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre in Caulfield. This historic meeting was openly welcomed by the Croatian Foreign Ministry and was widely reported by the media in Croatia. The Croatian communities around the world also welcomed this long awaited initiative. On 29 th of April 2012 the representatives of the two communities met again, this time in the Croatian Community Centre in Geelong. It can be said that this was also a historic meeting, since it was the first time ever that the Jewish community leaders, anywhere in the world, had met with the representatives of the Croatian community in their club. And this evening we have again an historic event here in the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne. I believe that this is a first visit to this Centre for many members of the Croatian community present here. Jews and Croats in Australia better understand each other, know their community values, histories and the histories of their nations. Croatia and Israel have so many similar attributes: they emerged as successful start up countries old people, old nations with new states in a very volatile and hostile world. They have come a long way. Croatia is in NATO and on the verge of full membership in EU. Israel is the beacon of freedom and democracy in a volatile region, a strong state with the most start up companies in the world and a people known for their talent and commitment to faith. Both nations, both states defied the odds. Today they trade with each other, and tourists flock to their beaches and cultural, iconic sites. Indeed, Croatia is home to the second oldest synagogue in Europe, preserved in pristine condition to an active and vibrant Jewish community in Dubrovnik. Due to time restraint I will not be able to mention all my good friends in the Jewish community who had played a part in this historic cooperation between the Croatian and Jewish communities in Victoria. However, I do wish to express my gratitude to Dr Danny Lamb President of ECJA, Philip Chester, the President of Zionist Federation of Australia, Sam Tatarka, the President of the Zionist Council of Victoria and my good friend Hilary McMahon who for the last three years was always ready to help and assist me in my contacts with the JCCV. Let me also thank David Marlow, JCCV Executive Director, for his great work in the organization of this event. There are also many Croatian organizations and individuals in Melbourne who played a key role from the beginning in bringing closer the two communities and who have fully embraced this historic initiative. Let me first of all express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to Jenny Matic for her enormous contribution, all members of the Executive Committee of the Croatian Community Centre Geelong, Ivan Skratulja and Sergio Marusic from the Croatian World Congress in Victoria, Boris Jakovac, coordinator of Croatian radio program on 3ZZZ, Tonci Prusac, the 5

6 previous Editor in Chief of the Croatian Herald and George Sabljak the current Editor in Chief of that paper. Let me also say thank you to my most dedicated supporter and the biggest critic, my dear wife Janja. I would be remiss of me not to mention a very broad and strong support I had in the wider Croatian community in Victoria. Right from the beginning until today the feedback I had been getting from the Croatian community is that, if for nothing else, I will be remembered by the Australian Croatian Community in Victoria for my role, on the Croatian side, in bringing the two communities closer. Last but not the least, let me to express my particular gratitude to David Southwick MP for Caulfield, for attending the second meeting in Geelong, together with Ian Tresize from the Opposition, and for speaking in the Parliament about this historic initiative. Thank you very much David. The traditional bipartisan policies of the main political parties in Victoria in support of and full commitment to the multiculturism has resulted in Victoria becoming one of the most successful multicultural societies in the world. This policy and its success should be continuously and closely guarded and nurtured. In the end, one may ask what was my motivation to approach John Searle at the time and suggest to him that we should talk. There is not enough time this evening to elaborate on that in more details. I will do so at some point in the future. Tonight I just wish to stress that, as someone who always had in my heart interest of Croatia and its people, I thought that it was simply the right thing to do and in the interest of todays Croatia and the Croatian community in Victoria and Australia. Very simply it was a right thing to do for our children and our grandchildren. I love Croatia, but to me Croatness is, in fact, variety and pluralism, and not narrowness and enclosure. Before I conclude I also wish to say that I sincerely hope that this unique cooperation between the Croatian and Jewish community in Victoria will continue to grow from strength to strength in the future, and that it will became a model for other communities. In the conclusion, I am very happy to let you know that after I finish in my role as Consul- General in Melbourne, sometimes in the next of couple of months, Janja and I will continue to spend our time between Australia and Croatia. So, Janja and I are not bidding you farewell or goodbye, but only that we are looking forward see you again, shortly, here in Melbourne or in Zagreb in Croatia. Or next year in Jerusalem, Israel. Thank you very much for coming and for listing to my long speech. 6