Croatian PM Appoints First-Ever Special Advisor for Holocaust Issues and Combating Antisemitism

Sara Lustig has been appointed by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to serve as his Special Advisor for Holocaust Issues and Combating Antisemitism — a newly-created position.

A political consultant and lawyer, Lustig has over the past year filled the role of Deputy Head of Croatia’s International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Delegation, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Croatia is set to chair the IHRA Presidency for a one-year term starting next March.

Lustig is the daughter of the late Branko Lustig — the Croatian Jewish film producer who won an Academy Award for Best Picture for Schindler’s List.

We warmly welcome the appointment of Sara Lustig (@sara_lustig) as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Croatia for Holocaust Issues and Combating Antisemitism and wish her every success in this important new role! 👏🇭🇷 pic.twitter.com/Z4uzvfjlnr

— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 29, 2022

Earlier this year, the Ombudswoman of the Republic of Croatia, Tena Šimonović Einwalter, spoke in an interview with the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) about her country’s efforts to fight Jew-hatred, highlighting the importance of Holocaust education.

“The hate that was pointed at Jews in the 20th century and the atrocities that happened as a result will always remain one of the most shameful parts of the history of humanity,” she said. “And we must never forget that evil is not only doing, but also not doing, not saying no or accepting what is happening. The trail of that hate and the potential of that silence persist, so there is really no doubt in my mind that the fight against antisemitism is in the basis of promotion and protection of human rights and equality, and always will be.”