UN University of Peace Fetes Israeli Soldier

A member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was recognized for his contributions to the culture of peace by the former president of the UN General Assembly and professor of the European Center for Peace and Development of the UN University for Peace in Belgrade earlier this month.

Maj. (res.) Barak Gabor was awarded a certificate of recognition for his contributions to the culture of peace by Professor Srdjan Kerim of the European Center for Peace and Development of the UN University for Peace in Belgrade last week. The 45-year-old Gabor took leave from the IDF to attend the event as part of the premier of the documentary on his great-grandfather Artur Adler who participated in the prisoner uprising at the Jasenovac death camp during the twilight days of World War II and the Holocaust. The film, titled “Jasenovac: An Oath Kept” was a joint Serbian, Israeli and Norwegian production, and is expected to be shown in Israel and elsewhere in Europe in the coming year.

Adler was one of 600 prisoners who participated in the breakthrough attempt at the fascist Ustasha-run death camp, sometimes referred to as the Auschwitz of the Balkans for the brutality and scale of the murder that took place there. Unfortunately, he died only several days after the breakthrough, passing away on April 27, 1945.

Gabor’s grandmother, Josipa “Shoshana” Adler was rescued during the war by the Partisans and afterwards made her way to Israel. And in 2014, after both his grandparents had passed away, Gabor committed to translating a book on the horrors of Jasenovac into Hebrew. In the end, he organized the translation of Prof. Gideon Greif’s “Jasenovac – Auschwitz of the Balkans,” with the Hebrew edition published in April of this year.

The acknowledgement awarded to Gabor by Professor Srgjan Kerim, former Foreign Minister of North Macedonia and past President of the UN General Assembly came as part of a conference titled “Challenges to Peace – 80 Years After the Founding of the United Nations.” As its name would suggest, the focal topic was about ensuring the values that inspired the UN Charter 80 years ago are respected in today’s world. 

At an event on the same topic in the organization’s New York headquarters, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned last month that the values of the UN charter were under unprecedented assault.  Without naming any specific countries, Guterres stated, “Today we see assaults on the purposes and principles of the UN charter like never before: the threat and use of force against sovereign nations, the violation of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and the weaponization of food and water.”

From curse to blessing

But like Balaam and his ass, if the UN’s Guterres came to curse Israel, among others, in New York with vaguely targeted criticisms, it turned into an award for an IDF member in Belgrade at the peace conference several weeks later. The ultimate purpose of the Belgrade event was to exchange a memorandum of understanding between the European Center for Peace and Development of the University for Peace of the UN and the Spain-based European Institute for Holocaust and Totalitarianism Studies (IEKHT).  A delegation of Spanish history professors affiliated with the IEKHT and led by the institute’s president Carlos Vásquez came to Belgrade as part of a study visit to see how another country deals with its Holocaust history. 

In an interview with Serbian daily Politika, Vásquez pointed to the importance of historical memory in the present-day, quoting the director of the Auschwitz Museum. “Remembrance is not a passive act—it is an act of resistance,” Vásquez said. “Through remembering, we take a stand against hatred, racism, and anti-Semitism. That’s why remembrance is not just for the victims—it’s a duty of the living.”

Gabor is fulfilling that duty in memory of his great-grandparents who perished during World War II. And as the Gaza War continues to rage, it’s nice to see active IDF personnel gaining notoriety for positive contributions to the culture of peace instead of provoking criticism due to the ongoing war.