Remembering Srebrenica
JEREMY Jones represented the Jewish community at the 20th anniversary commemoration of the mass murder of civilians in 1995 at Srebrenica, Bosnia, held in Sydney last Saturday evening.
JEREMY Jones represented the Jewish community at the 20th anniversary commemoration of the mass murder of civilians in 1995 at Srebrenica, Bosnia, held in Sydney last Saturday evening.
The murder of approximately 8000 Muslim Bosnians, mainly men and boys, is regarded as the worst crime against humanity committed on European soil since the Holocaust.
Jones, who is the director of international and community affairs for the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), joined close to 700 survivors, family members of victims and members of the broader community who came together at the Bosnian Community Centre in Southwest Sydney under the banner of “Never Again”.
“It was an incredible honour to be asked,” he told The AJN. “There was a great deal of discussion about the Jewish experience.
“Because of the way the Jewish community has had to learn how to remember, how to cope with loss, they felt there was a connection … They had learnt from Jewish people that you learn from your own suffering how to be compassionate to others who have gone through a period of suffering.”
Introduced as a longstanding friend of the Bosnian community, Jones talked about the personal impact of his visits to Sarajevo and Mostar in 2011 and 2012.
He spoke of his visit to the Jewish cemetery in the Bosnian capital, where the monument to victims of the Nazis bears damage inflicted by weapons fired during the same war in which the Srebrenica genocide and other horrendous crimes took place.
Jones also read a Jewish prayer for Srebrenica, which concluded: “Help us in our fight against vengeance, prejudice and hatred. Strengthen us in our efforts to open benighted eyes, distorted visions through mistrust and misunderstanding. Enlighten us so there shall never be destruction of your creation again.
“May it be your will that the souls of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide live in your eternal peace. May their families and friends be comforted in their sorrow. May it be your will that we learn to live together without prejudice and violence but respect one another as human beings.”
Chifley MP Ed Husic, who is of Bosnian background, thanked Jones for his consistent, passionate and effective advocacy of religious freedom and Australian multiculturalism.
The evening also featured presentations by young community members mourning grandparents, fathers and brothers, as well as Islamic religious leaders, a historian, poet and four members of Parliament – Husic along with NSW State MPs David Clarke, Walt Secord and Paul Lynch.
AJN STAFF
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