Controversial History Textbook

JUTARNJI LIST ≠ Friday, January 27th, 2006

The author of the History textbook for grade 8: ≥I wonπt change the chapter about Jasenovac≤
Written by: Ivana Kalogjera-Brkic
Photo: Dragan Matic

Josip Jurcevic, one of the authors

ZAGREB ≠ Controversial History textbook for grade 8 of the elementary school in which, according to historians assessment, the authors dr. Josip Jurcevic and Marija Rajic, without stating the number of victims in Jasenovac, relativate sufferings in concentration camps in NDH (Croatia in the WW2, r.b.), has been, as we know, the issue of informal talks among historians during the scientific conference about Holocaust which has been held in Zagreb in last two days.

To the number of questions about this textbook, which has been used in schools since 2004, the historians said that the official for History had announced the changes that would be done in it.

Orders to scientists
According to her words, the publisher of the textbook Alfa has promised to change the controversial parts in the book for the next school year.

But, the owner of Alfa, Miro Petric, states totally different:≤ We wonπt change anything. ≥There is nothing in the textbook that is opposite to civilized fields in learning History≤ - Petric was resoluted. Josip Jurcevic, one of the authors, has denied every possibility for changes.

≤ This theme has been presented in the most objective and most scientific way in my textbook. I donπt relativate the crime; I know what Holocaust is better than many others. Iπve been accussed because I donπt elaborate this problem in a way that communist theory does≤ ≠ said Jurcevic. He added he wouldnπt accept the formal communist sheme of presenting Jasenovac, including the Holocaust, which is being offered to generations, and which ≥to nowdays children seems strange because they didnπt grow up in communism≤. ≤ I would like to know what politicians will dare to give the order to a scientist. If we are going to work that way, then we can recall commrades Tito and Stalin≤ ≠ concluded Jurcevic.

Josip Jurcevicπs textbook is one of six History textbooks that are currently used in schools, and apart of pages about the Holocaust and sufferings in concentration camps, Jurcevicπs book is, according to other historians researches, full of subjective interpretations of historical facts.

Denunciation of communism
≥Personally, I would never give such a book to children. Children need texts written by serious people. Itπs obvious that in this book, manipulating with photographs and significiant formulations, ustashi movement is put into a certain positive atmosphere, and the communism, which is denunciated, whatπs right , but only under the circumstances that the author has the same approach to all of them, but in this case itπs not so≤ ≠ commented the historian dr. Ivo Banac. In the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia say that the Croatian Education National Standard will be implemented in all schools. In that programme Croatia as the anti-facist country has clearly demonstrated its attitudes towards NDH and crimes that happened in that time, declare the Ministry.

Holocaust Memorial Day
Like everywhere in the world, in all Croatian elementary and secondary schools, Holocaust Memorial Day has been celebrated. The Ministry has recommended to schools to celebrate this day more firmly than in earlier years. This year the specialists of the International School for Holocaust (Yad Vashem) have created the Ceremony for the Memorial Holocaust Day ≥We Tried to Live≤. The instructions for the Ceremony are for the students of 7th and 8th class of Elementary schools as well as for the 1st class of Secondary Schools. The Ministry has translated them into Croatian language and published on their web pages.

Translated by:
Bruno Vachianni and Mia Gasparovic, 8B
IGK, Slavonski Brod, Croatia