The Jewish municipality of Osijek on Sunday held a commemoration in the Jewish cemetery in the city of Djakovo for 566 Jews killed in a local concentration camp in the Second World War.

The Djakovo Jewish concentration camp was in operation in 1941 and 1942. Mainly transferred there were Jews from Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 2,000 women, children and elderly people. For many, it was just a stop on the way to Jasenovac, Auschwitz and other death camps.

Those who died in the Djakovo camp were buried by gravedigger Stjepan Kolb at the local cemetery, alongside tin plates with their names, age and places of birth. This makes the cemetery unique in the world.

The prayers were today said by Rabbi Mose Prelevic.

In attendance were representatives of Jewish communities from other parts of Croatia as well as from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

Djakovo Mayor Marin Mandaric said that it was important that all those in attendance and participants in annual commemorations could feel welcome.

It is important to hold those annual commemorations to remember the victims from the Second World War, said the mayor who paid special respect to gravedigger Stjepan Kolb for having showed humanity in the those times.