Wiesenthal Center's Director for Eastern European Affairs, Dr. Efraim Zuroff Warns of Serious Danger Posed by Holocaust Distortion at Memorial Event Marking 80th Anniversary of Deportation of the Entire Jewish Community of Pirot, Serbia

March 14, 2023

Pirot-SWC director for Eastern European Affairs, Holocaust historian, Dr. Efraim Zuroff today stressed the urgent importance of combating the false narratives of the Holocaust being promoted by numerous governments which only made the transition to democracy following the collapse of the Soviet bloc.


In his comments to a large crowd which gathered to commemorate the deportation to Treblinka of over 500 men, women and children from the southern Serbian city 80 years' ago by the Bulgarian Nazi collaborators, he highlighted the refusal of the Bulgarian government to admit their complicity in the deportations from Pirot as well as from Macedonia and Thrace, Greece.


According to Zuroff: 

“Accurate narratives of the history of the Holocaust have become more important than ever, as has Holocaust education which must combat the efforts of Eastern European governments to hide or minimize the crimes committed by their citizens.

A day earlier, Zuroff was an honored guest at the Holocaust memorial event in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, where he met Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski, who told him that he would welcome his return to Skopje to continue the discussion they initiated on Holocaust issues. In addition, Zuroff was interviewed by four television channels, including an hour long interview for Alpha TV, which will be broadcast this coming Saturday night.


For additional information please contact the Israel Office of the Wiesenthal Center: Tel: 972-2-563-1274 or Tel: 972-50-721-4156, follow the Center on Facebook, or @simonwiesenthal and @EZuroff for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).