Our website www.lessonsfromjasenovac.org was started in July 2015 with the 
events of Jasenovac 1940-1945 organized and executed by the Croatian Nazis. Close to one million lives were lost.
We noticed that our website is visited by residents of the Ukraine and Russia constantly and in increasing numbers of visits:
Poland – 2nd out of first 10 countries
Ukraine – 3rd out of first 10 countries
Russian Federation – 7th out of 10 countries
The development of our website took time, talent and investment.
World War II was fought on many fronts in Europe, the Pacific, Africa, Russia versus Germany conflict was the biggest bloodbath of the war that took 30 million lives.
During the war a large number of photographs were taken close to the war action becoming “unique photographic treasures” that were kept untouched in Soviet Archives since 1945, only a few were seen publicly until they were released specifically for use in the TV series “The Unknown War” 1978.
Both Jasenovac and the Unknown War came to light several years after the event (70 years).
Definitely in the case of survivors like myself it took years to wake up and realize that surviving the horrors of war that started as an individual “unfortunate” episode in one’s life has a greater value if shared with our fellow humans as a lesson and warning of things likely to happen.
By looking into the past 70+ years ago we became aware of:
- Obvious facts:
- Do not negotiate with terrorists
- Recognize and deal with evil with great concern, do not ignore it
- Fight terror and genocide with force and determination
- Not-so-obvious consequences of major events in the 1930’s and 1940’s:
Reference is made to:
B-1 Treaties between Hitler and:
Neville Chamberlain – England
Joseph Stalin – Soviet Russia
Both treaties were made in good faith by the above two men and their governments. The only one in that period who knew the intentions of Hitler and the Nazi regime was Winston Spencer Churchill.
B-2 Today there is the rise of Neo-Nazism, anti-Semitism, nuclear threats and treaties again with new players not from Europe but the Middle East.
Our team considers that:
- The events of the 1930’s and 1940’s that took place in Europe are repeating today in Europe, the Middle East and Africa
- Winston Churchill was right in his way of looking at history and the conclusions he came to were valid and we are trying to bring the past events to light and compare them with today ones to create awareness and action where possible.
B-3 Taking as an example
- between Texas (US) and Mexico. We should look and analyze the history of the Berlin Wall and how useful is the wall in Garza
- Nuclear treaty with Iran
B-4 Hitler made two treaties and one alliance in the 1930’s. We now know the history’s was a bloodbath that took 30 million lives
- The alliance between Mussolini and Hitler brought additional death
We feel that Jasenovac was “The Unknown Extermination Camp” where one million people perished in a few hundred acres. “The Unknown War” where 30 million lost their lives, over most of Europe.
During 1941 to 1945 the ratio Jasenovac versus Europe the ratio is 1:30 for lost lives
Per acre that death occurred possible 1:30 million acres
All loss of life during Genocide is for one reason:
Human hatred driven by unreal socio-political beliefs by a few that succeeded temporarily to convince a large portion of their fellow citizens to participate in genocide.
What has really happened in both cases was the extraordinary array of human hate from individuals torturing their victims by their own hands and enormous armies and most deadly war machines.
What we must do is not forget what happened in the past to our fellow men to avoid it to happen now.