The conference dubbed “The Jubilee Years”, held on December 14 in Belgrade,​ was opened by H. E. Mr. Ivica Dacic, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia and H. E. Alona Fisher-Kamm, Ambassador of the State of Israel to Serbia.

Distinguished guests from Israel, professors from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, together with their Serbian colleagues as well as former Ambassadors to Israel have shared their views and different perspectives about the State of Israel and its friendship with Serbia.

We had a great privilege to listen to professor Arye Naor, Emeritus Professor from the Department of political science at the Hebrew university of Jerusalem, who talked about Israel ahead of its 70th birthday, about country's main achievements and prospects for peace. Professor Gadi Taub, senior lecturer at the Department of communication and School for public policy at the Hebrew university of Jerusalem, gave a lecture dubbed "Modern Zionism: From Political Program to a Sovereign State".

Participants of the panel dubbed "Bridging the gap: Bilateral Relations from Ambassadors’ Point of View" were former Ambassadors to Israel Ms. Krinka Vidaković – Petrov and Mr. Mirko Stefanović, while the insightful discussion was moderated by Mr. Borivoj Erdeljan, foreign policy commentator and former correspondent from Jerusalem.

Professor Jelena Erdeljan, founder and director of Center for the study of Jewish art and culture at the Faculty of philosophy talked about the friendship between Serbia and Israel and stories which shaped the history of relations with the two distinguished historians Mr. Milan Koljanin from the Institute for Contemporary History and Mr. Milan Ristović, Professor at the Department of history at the Faculty of Philosophy. Special guest and one of the panelists​ was Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight, David Albala’s granddaughter.

Opening message by H.E. Alona Fisher-Kamm 

This is why we are marking this year both our national jubilee year and the bilateral one, where we celebrate 25 years of the renewal of diplomatic relations. Both anniversaries give us the opportunity to reveal and review historical key events that would highlight the common denominators and mutual interests of Serbia and Israel. More than that, they give us a deeper understanding of the historical friendship and solidarity between the two peoples that go much beyond 25 years of diplomatic relations.

The seminar we are opening today will guide the audience in these two lines: the road of Zionism since its very beginning until the celebration of Israel’s 70th anniversary and the key points where the history of Serbia had impact on its course. The history of Israel will be told by two exceptional intellectuals from Israel, Prof. Arye Naor and Dr. Gadi Taub who will share with us not only their rich knowledge but also their own views on the State of Israel, its history and its future perspective.

The convergence of this national road with the Serbian one and its effect on the relations and on the course of history will be discussed in two panels where leading Serbian historians and practitioners will take part. They will try to tell the story of long relations both chronologically and through specific events and personalities, some of them forgotten along the years.

Dear Friends,

“If you will it, it is no dream”, said Theodor Herzl, the visionary founder of Zionism and chairman of the first Zionist Congress, which took place in Basel, exactly 120 years ago. Throughout his life, Theodor Herzl has promoted the Zionist idea and conceptualized different visions and initiatives into a clear political program with practical steps aiming at establishing a state based on the right of self-determination for the Jewish people in its historical homeland.

Theodor Herzl’s grand-parents were born in Serbia, more precisely in GUNDULICEVA 17 in Zemun. Today, when I walk on the streets of old Zemun and visit the graveyards of the Jewish cemetery, I cannot avoid thinking of the accuracy of its prophecy and its impact on the course of history.

Twenty years after the first Zionist Congress, Jewish and Serbian national aspirations connected at another historic crossroad, when efforts of a Serbian Jewish doctor, David Albala, resulted in the first international endorsement of the Balfour Declaration. In November 1917, lord James Arthur Balfour, then British foreign secretary, acknowledged in writing the Jewish people national rights in their historical homeland. The Serbian government, in a beautiful letter of Milenko Vesnic to his friend Albala, became the first to endorse the Balfour Declaration.

Reading this letter, one gets the impression that not only high political interests were at stake in this decision, but they were accompanied by a profound sympathy and respect. I am very delighted to have among us today Ms. Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight, David Albala’s granddaughter, who came especially from the US to this event. Rosie will share with us her personal insight as a granddaughter of Albala.

The road to the establishment of the state of Israel was a long and painful one. Unfortunately, until it came to reality, Jews have experienced the darkest and the most terrible chapter in history - the Holocaust. Six million Jews, among them 1.5 million children were murdered by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. Here in Serbia, their fate was not better.  

Among them, one can find 1200 refugees who escaped by boat from Vienna in November 1939 on their way to Eretz - Israel. After more than a year of hardships, they arrived to Kladovo to be later transported to Sabac. Most of them were brutally murdered with the local Jews. Details of their tragic story will be revealed today, with emphasis on the support they got from the Serbian government, the municipalities of Kladovo and Sabac, the officers of the boat and the local population.

Thirty years after the Balfour Declaration, in November 1947, the UN General Assembly voted the resolution 181 adopting the partition of the Land into two states- one Jewish and one Arab. After long years of persecutions and Exile, finally our dream of living normally like any other nation has become true.

Among the international figures who played a decisive role in the partition resolution was the first ambassador of Haiti to the United Nations. His name was Emile Saint- Lot. His grand-son, Michel Saint Lot is today UNICEF representative in Serbia, a dear colleague of ours. [who is with us this morning. Thank you Michel for making an effort to be here today.]

Other significant jubilee events relate to the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 and the visit of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1977, which paved the way to signing of the first peace agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

By then, Yugoslavia severed its relations with Israel only to renew them 25 years ago.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The relations between Serbia and Israel have known lights and shadows with moments of solidarity along misunderstandings and political divergences. There was a too long period of rupture in the relations, and yet, the warm feelings, affinity and friendship were kept alive. Bridging the gap and giving this friendship concrete expression is one of our missions here.

The celebration of 25 years of diplomatic relations is a great opportunity to trace the history, to highlight its best moments and explore together efficient ways to exhaust the high potential in all areas. Today, we enjoy open channels and rich political dialogue where we exchange views and positions and try to set a high level political agenda for the benefit of the two countries. In economy, our trade exchange is growing and its portfolio becomes wider and more diversified. Israeli investments in Serbia are on the rise and number of Israeli tourists has increased dramatically. Exchange of cultural activities is an important tool in getting to know each other better.

I take the opportunity of the jubilees years to thank on behalf of the State of Israel our friends here and all the known and less known figures in Serbia who have been supporting Israel and the Jewish people throughout this amazing journey. Thank you all who have been contributing to enhancing and deepening the relations between Serbia and Israel.

I wish us all a fruitful seminar with rich panels and lectures. I would like to thank all those who organized the event with us, who dedicated time and effort to help us revealing to the public the small secrets of our shared past in order to build together a basis for even better and closer relations in the future.

Your Excellency Mr. Dacic, it is a great honor for me to host you in this seminar and to share with you my gratitude to Serbia and my personal appreciation of the direction that our relations are taking. It is part of a multi-channel diplomacy, public and not public alike, with the aim of working together for the benefit of our beloved countries.