The Jewish community and the Holocaust Fund of the Jews of Macedonia are appalled and offended by the registration of the King Boris III Ohrid Association and the ease with which Nazism, fascism and hate speech are glorified in Macedonia.

- It is obvious that registrations of associations with Bulgarian self-awareness bearing the names of proven collaborators of Nazi Germany have become more frequent. It is a conscious provocation and an insult to the Jewish community, an insult to the Macedonian state and its citizens... or maybe someone thinks differently, that in this way, by promoting and glorifying fascism and Nazism, good neighborly relations are strengthened?! The name Tsar Boris III is associated with the persecution and destruction of Jews from the occupied territories by fascist Bulgaria during World War II. Let us recall that Tsar Boris III and the government of Tsarist Bulgaria are directly responsible for the deportation of more than 11.300 Jews from the occupied territories in Macedonia, Greece and Serbia, of which 7.144 are Jews from Macedonia, to the Treblinka killing center in occupied Poland. On January 21, 1941, Tsar Boris III signs the anti-Jewish Law for the Protection of the Nation, adopts the slogan of Nazi Germany "One Tsar, One People, One State" and is a proven conspirator for the implementation of the so-called "Final Solution of the Jewish Question". This is a blatant example of denial and distortion of the Holocaust, of mocking and insulting the Jews, the Jewish community and the Fund of the Holocaust of the Jews of Macedonia react.

From there they emphasize that on April 18.04.2022, XNUMX, in the reaction to the opening of the cultural club "Vancho Mihailov" in Bitola, they called for "a procedure to be initiated regarding the legal standing of cultural and other centers, civil associations, etc. to bear the names of confirmed fascists and proven collaborators of the Nazis".

-What should we expect to happen next? Registration of associations bearing the name of Aleksandar Belev - Commissioner for Jewish Affairs, Petar Gabrovski - Minister of Internal Affairs and Public Health, Bogdan Filov - Prime Minister of Imperial Bulgaria, or perhaps Adolf Hitler? The indifference of the competent authorities on occasions when certain individuals distort history in the most gross way and trample on the dignity of the Jews and all the citizens of North Macedonia is incomprehensible. Who are those loyal citizens of North Macedonia who sow hatred and glorify anti-Semites, fascists and Nazis by establishing such and similar "cultural associations"?, the Jewish community openly asks.

They demand answers from the government to what extent is the implementation of the two commitments of the state undertaken in Malmö at the International Forum for the Remembrance of the Holocaust and the fight against anti-Semitism "Remember - React", 12-14.10.2021, and related to the Conclusions of the Government of R. North Macedonia from September 14, 2021: 1. expansion of the curriculum on combating anti-Semitism and denying the Holocaust for 8th and 9th grade students; 2. a mandatory visit to the Holocaust Memorial Center for primary and secondary school students?

- That is the right way and way to suppress hate speech and prevent the distortion of history. Our country can and must stand in the way of the increasingly frequent occurrences of registering such associations, which with their provocations and insults spread hate speech and remain unpunished under the guise of freedom of speech or good neighborliness. It is a classic example of distortion of historical facts and glorification of fascism and Nazism. An act that is not in the spirit of multiculturalism in our country and is not in the spirit of good neighborly relations between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, emphasize the Jewish community and the Holocaust Fund of the Jews of Macedonia.

The Jewish Community and the Holocaust Fund of the Jews of Macedonia did not answer whether the building that houses the Ivan Mihailov Cultural Club in Bitola once belonged to a Jewish family that was deported, as claimed in a report published on the German television station ZDF.

- We have no information whether that house really belonged to a Jewish family, but today we tried to find out. The house is now privately owned and as such belongs to the club and does not belong to a Jewish family. However, we do not know whether it belonged, but we will check through the Cadastre in Bitola. Usually that procedure lasts 7 to 10 days and we have started the procedure for the movement of the real estate, Pepo Levi, president of the Jewish community in the Republic of Moldova told Channel 5 yesterday.