ICEJ Video Message Of The Ambassador Of The State Of Israel To North Macedonia H.E. Mrs. Vivian Eisen for the commemoration of the deportation of the Macedonian Jews (transcript)

Dear friends, dear friends of Israel,

It is always moving to me to see friends of Israel from diverse backgrounds come together to remember the Jewish people and stand by the State of Israel.

Please accept my sincere apologies for not being able to join you in person tonight.

First and foremost, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem for organizing this important event and for your long-standing commitment to preserving the memory of the Jewish communities that were destroyed during the Holocaust.

As you may be aware, the genocidal Iranian regime has spent years building a detailed war plan aimed at destroying the State of Israel and wiping the Jewish people off the face of the earth.

This plan includes the development of advanced ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, along with training, funding, and arming proxy forces around Israel - Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria; Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Judea and Samaria; the Houthis in Yemen; and Shiite militias in Iraq.

All of these forces were carefully prepared to join Iran in a coordinated campaign against Israel, with the ultimate goal of stifling and destroying the Jewish state.

What this regime is seeking is nothing less than a second Holocaust - the deliberate extermination of the Jewish people.

But we promised the world - and ourselves - Never again.

For that reason, Israel took action at this critical moment - to prevent the Iranian regime from completing preparations that would allow it to carry out its planned attack on Israel.

And when we say "Never again," we do so while remembering the past.

This week we commemorate the 7,144 Jews from Macedonia who were deported in three transports from the Monopol tobacco factory in Skopje on March 11, 1943, to the Treblinka extermination camp, as part of the Nazi genocidal plan to exterminate the Jewish people.

From the Monopol tobacco factory in Skopje began the final journey of an entire community that had lived on this land for centuries.

Two weeks ago, just a few days before the start of Operation Roaring Lion, I had the honor of participating in a commemorative evening organized by the Macedonian Jewish Community in Israel to commemorate the destruction of this community in 1943.

Two moments during that ceremony moved me deeply.

First, the presence of third and fourth generation Macedonians, who continue to learn about what happened in 1943 and who feel a responsibility to participate in commemorating the community that was lost. This shows that the story is passed down from generation to generation - and that the memory remains alive.

Second, the participation of a choir that sang songs in Ladino, Serbo-Croatian, and Macedonian, reminding us that what is preserved is not only the memory of the tragedy, but also the culture and spirit of the community that once lived here.

This combination - preserving both memory and culture - is essential when remembering a community of which 99 percent did not survive.

The fact that ceremonies like the one you are holding tonight are taking place simultaneously in different places - in North Macedonia, in Israel, and in Poland - gives me a strong sense that there is a shared commitment to preserving the story and honoring the memory of this community.

I am deeply grateful to all of you - Macedonians, many of you who are not Jewish - who believe that telling this story is an integral part of the history of this country.

The fact that the memory of the Jewish community of North Macedonia continues to be preserved and honored here today speaks not only to the past, but also to the values ​​of Macedonian society today.

The Jewish community in North Macedonia may be almost completely destroyed, but its memory lives on - in North Macedonia, in Israel, and also in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people, where the descendants of that community continue to carry its legacy forward.

As the Bible reminds us:

"Those who bless Israel will be blessed."

Together we promise:

We will remember the Jewish community in North Macedonia that was destroyed.

We will honor her legacy.

And we will continue to ensure that her memory is preserved - in Israel, in North Macedonia, and everywhere her story is told.

May the memory of the 7,144 members of the Macedonian Jewish Community be forever a blessing.