From the 23. to 25. of June in the capital of the Republic Srpska
(region of Bosnia-Herzegovina) Banja Luka, the conference „Yadovno,
1941“ was held fort he first time. Between the many scientists from
Russia, Italy, Israel, Serbia and the USA, Dr. Kyrill Fefereman attended
the conference as a represantive of the Center „Holocaust“. As the name
of the already intends, the conference is about camps, which the
pro-Nazi and ultranationalist Ustasha Regime built between April and Mai
1941. In these Camps, which were situated in Yadovno, on the territory
of modern Croatia, the new “Independent State of Croatia” murdered
hundred of Jews and Serbians. Only after Italy claimed the territory for
itself, the camps were closed.
During the conference, Kyrill Fefereman lectured about “Communalities
and differences regarding the Nazi politics about “Divide and Conquer”
in the USSR and Yugoslavia in 1941” highlighting the similarities of
German procedure regarding the “Jewish Question”. After the lecture the
participants held a memorial ceremony at the former camp at Yadovno,
which attended also the Serbian president, who instituted a new
memorial.
What makes the conference “Yadavno, 1941” so special is that it wasn’t
organized by an NGO or professional historians, but from engaged
citizens. Duschan Bastaschitsch founded his organization specially for
this purpose.
Later on in Belgrad Dr. Kyrill Fefereman lectured in the Institute for
Contemporary History, one of Serbia’s best Institute regarding the
history of the 20th century, about the Center “Holocaust”, its work as
well as about its current activities.
