September 09, 2005
The Croatian President has claimed the Jewish community in the capital city are acting like Nazis. Referring to the community's decision to fire the country's only rabbi, the President, Stipe Mesic, said “This is not a matter of religious affairs. A specific group of people has financial interests and would like to control the property of the Jewish community, and therefore they would like to get rid of the rabbi. A group of people in the Zagreb Jewish Community are acting like the Nazis in World War II. They are expelling the rabbi out of the country according to the same principle by which the Nazis drove Jews into concentration camps.”
The presidents comments were made after the Zagreb Jewish Community board recently confirmed a May 31 decision not to renew the contract of Israel-born Rabbi Kotel Da-Don, who for the past seven years has served as Croatia’s only rabbi. Leaders of the nine Jewish communities that form the Croatian Jewish Coordination (Federation) also voted on Tuesday to drop Da-Don, 37, as Croatia's chief rabbi.
The decision has split the local Jewish community and supporters of the fired Rabbi have said they may break away from the established Jewish community and form a rival congregation, possibly with Da-Don as its rabbi.
