| The Holocaust in Serbia | |
|---|---|
| Location | Serbia |
The Holocaust in Serbia refers to the genocide of Jews and Roma during World War II in Serbia supported by the Nedić regime.
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Yugoslav Foreign Secretary Anton Korosec stated in September 1938, that "Jewish issue did not exist in Yugoslavia…. Jewish refugees from the Nazi Germany are not welcome here." In december 1938 Rabbi Isaac Alkalai, the only Jewish member of government was dismissed from the government.
On 25 March 1941, Prince Paul of Yugoslavia signed the Tripartite Pact, allying the Kingdom of Yugoslavia with the Axis powers. Prince Paul was overthrown, and a new anti-German government under Peter II and Dušan Simović took power. The new government withdrew its support for the Axis, but did not repudiate the Tripartite Pact. Nevertheless, Axis forces, led by Nazi Germany invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941.
The govenment of Milan Nedic took on the task of "cleansing Serbia of Jews, renegades, and Gypsies."
In November 1941 a Anti-Freemason Exhibition took part that was funded by Belgrade city authorities.
The main race laws in the State of Serbia were adopted on 30 April 1941: the Legal Decree on Racial Origins (Zakonska odredba o rasnoj pripadnosti). Serbia was in August 1942. the first state that was declared as judenfrei.[1]
Dimitrije Ljotic, who was a leading Serbian Nazi ideologist founded a pan-Serbian, pro-Nazi and Fascist party Zbor. It was very active organisation that published a large number extreme anti-Semitic literature.
The military part of Zbor renowned as the Serbian Voluntary Guard acted as a reliable ally of Gestapo in elimination of Jews.
Of the Serbian Jewish population of 16,000, the Nazis murdered approximately 14,500.[2]