Serbian President Boris Tadic joined the ceremonial lighting of the Hanukkah candles at the Sukkat Shalom Synagogue in Belgrade Thursday night.
The president used the opportunity to spread a message that the Jewish festival of light reminds us of the importance to show respect and tolerance towards people of all backgrounds.
The ceremony was organized by the local Jewish community in cooperation with the Rabbinical Centre of Europe (RCE), and was attended by Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Yona Metzger, local rabbis, Yoshua Kamenetzky and Isak Asiel, and several hundreds of members of the Jewish community.
"We often speak of the necessity to protect human identity. These occasions are an opportunity to speak about the protection of not only Jewish, but the individual identity of all in Serbia," Tadic said.
The President spoke about the country's diverse multi-layered society that strives to respect and protect human rights.
Tadic also stressed that during the 20th century both Serbians and Jews were subject to great suffering, and that people should always stand by those who are persecuted and suffer discrimination.
The President also promised that Staro Sajmiste, the site of a former concentration camp located on the bank of the River Sava, will be turned into a memorial site that will preserve the memory of all who perished.
The memorial will host a "library of silence" and other institutions which will show the tragic history of the Jews, Serbians and Roma who were killed during WWII.
In his address, Chief Rabbi Metzger thanked those Serbs who saved members of the Jewish community during the Holocaust.
"We must be faithful to those that love us," he said.
Rabbi Arye Goldberg, deputy director of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe, praised the importance of the renaissance of Jewish life in the Balkans.
"There is a reawakening of an interest in Judaism and Jewish traditions amongst the Jews of the Balkans," he said.