Members of the Croatian-Jewish community, seeking to strengthen the cooperation between Croatia and Israel, have formed the Croatian-Israeli Society in Zagreb.
Maja Freundlich, vice president of the group, said in a statement that the group’s “primary goal is to work toward greater cooperation between the State of Israel and the Republic of Croatia.”
Although Israel has officially recognized Croatia, which declared its independence in 1991, there are no formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Freundlich said the organization currently has over 60 members, including representatives from the Croatian Jewish community, both in Croatia and abroad, as well as non-Jews.
The idea for the society originated with the U.S. Memorial Holocaust Museum’s request for submissions to their archives from various countries involved in the Holocaust, according to Julia Busich, an adviser to the Croatian ambassador here.
The group then expanded to focus on the Croatian-Israeli relationship as well as other subjects, Busich said.
The society, which was officially registered June 24, plans to contact American-Jewish organizations and focus on social, humanitarian and cultural issues, tourism and academic research.
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