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The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights must warn
that the Serbian Orthodox Church is encouraging the already growing
wave of anti-Semitism in Serbia with this year's litany dedicated to
Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović, set to be held in Belgrade.
Nikolaj Velimirović was an outspoken anti-Semitic,
whose texts and speeches had a racist tone regarding Jews.
In his work "Through the Prison Window" written in
1944, he accused the Jews of all the evils of Western civilization,
at a time when the genocide of European Jews had already been
carried out and six million of them had been killed.
We must remind that prior to World War Two,
approximately 10,000 Jews were living in Belgrade, but only a small
number survived the war and genocide. Jews in Serbia have always
made a significant contribution to the development of the country,
and one of the fathers of the modern Serbian state, Prince Miloš
Obrenović, was extremely sympathetic to the Jewish community, having
had personal friends among its members.
We believe that during the long and rich history
of the Serbian Orthodox Church, there have been many people who
sincerely advocated the prosperity of all citizens of Serbia,
regardless of their nationality.
In the twenty-first century, what is the aim of
carrying the remains of a man, which could lead to new divisions in
our society?
The Helsinki Committee believes that the litanies
should send a message of tolerance and equality of all citizens,
regardless of their ethnic or religious background.
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