Welcome NoteWelcome NoteWelcome Note

Dear Readers

Welcome to the new edition of

ldquoCroatia Monthlyrdquo

Croatia is now a member state of the

EU We marked this historic occasion

in Washington DC on July 1 with line

of events throughout the day Special

thanks goes to our partners the Dele-

gation of the EU in the US and the

US Institute of Peace We are bring-

ing you the report about these festive

events

If you wish to learn even more about

the newest member of the European

family make sure to download a spe-

cial brochure ldquoCroatia land and

peoplerdquo This brochure was produced to

mark the accession to the EU and to

present Croatia to foreign audiences in

an accessible and informative way

We continue to bring you the best of

Croatia and this time it is Lonely

Planet who listed us on the top 10

European destinations for 2013 Make

sure not to miss their recommenda-

tions

I wish you all great summer holi-

days

Ambassador

Joško Paro

NEWSLETTER OF THE EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC

OF CROATIA TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CroatiaCroatiaCroatia

monthly monthly monthly

NO 222013 NO 222013 NO 222013

EU FLAG RAISED AT THE EMBASSY

CROATIAS ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION CELEBRATED AT THE EU DELEGATION

PANEL DISCUSSION ON CROATIAS EU ACCESSION HELD AT THE US INSTITUTE OF PEACE

INTERVIEW WITH CROATIAN AMBASSADOR JOŠKO PARO AND EU AMBASSADOR JOAtildeO

VALE DE ALMEIDA ON CROATIArsquoS ENTRY INTO THE EU

DC MAYOR VINCENT GRAY CONGRATULATES CROATIA ON THE EU ACCESSION

AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE WELCOMES CROATIAS MEMBERSHIP IN THE EU

LEARN MORE ABOUT EUS 28 MEBER STATE

CROATIAN POLICE INSPECTOR RECEIVES THE 2013 HEROES AWARD

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF CROATIAN AMERICANS ELECTS NEW PRESIDENT AND

CELEBRATES FIRST 20 YEARS

CROATIAN RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS EXHIBIT OPENS IN CHICAGO

FLORY JAGODA ndash THE CELEBRATION CONCERT AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

TRAVEL NEWS ROUNDUP BY JEANNE OLIVER

CROATIA IS IN THE TOP 10 EUROPEAN TRAVEL DESTINATIONS FOR 2013

BY LONELY PLANET

SPEAKING OF FACTS

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

EU Flag raised at the EmbassyEU Flag raised at the EmbassyEU Flag raised at the Embassy

US In a ceremony he ld on Ju ly 1

2013 Ambassador Joško Paro ra ised

t he flag o f t he European Unio n at t he

Croat ian E mbassy in Washington

DC fo llowing Republic o f Croat ia s

access io n to t he EU

We were jo ined on this occas io n by

representat ives o f t he US Department

o f St at e EU Delegat ion in t he US

members o f d ip lo mat ic co mmunit y

and Croat ian Diaspora in t he US A

let t er o f congratu lat ions fro m DClsquos

Mayor Vincent Gray was read and

European anthem ―Ode to Joy was

per fo rmed by a Croat ian- Amer ican

t ambur it zans band

2

Croatias accession to the European union celebrated at the Croatias accession to the European union celebrated at the Croatias accession to the European union celebrated at the

EU Delegation in Washington DCEU Delegation in Washington DCEU Delegation in Washington DC

The Delegat ion o f t he European Union to t he Unit ed

Stat es host ed a celebrat ion event to mark Croat ia s Acces-

s ion to t he EU at t he Delegat io n s headquar t ers on Ju ly 1

2013 in Washington DC

A flag o f Croat ia was unve i led in t he l ine o f f lags o f

EU member st at es and a t imel ine wa l l featur ing impor t ant

event s in t he EU histo ry was ext ended to feature Croat ia

as 28th member st at e and to honour t he Nobe l Pr ize

awarded to t he EU in 2012

copy Delegation of the EU to the US

copy Delegation of the EU to the US

Panel discussion bdquoCroatiarsquos EU Accession Spreading Peace through Panel discussion bdquoCroatiarsquos EU Accession Spreading Peace through Panel discussion bdquoCroatiarsquos EU Accession Spreading Peace through

Integrationrdquo held at the US Institute of PeaceIntegrationrdquo held at the US Institute of PeaceIntegrationrdquo held at the US Institute of Peace

The Embassy of the Republic of Croatia the Delegation of the

European Union to the United States of America and the US

Institute of Peace organized a panel discussion with Ambassador

Joško Paro Ambassador Joatildeo Vale de Almeida Ambassador Peter

Galbtraith and Mr Jonathan Moore about Croatialsquos journey to

accession into the EU and the regional implications of Croatialsquos

membership

The panel was held at the US Institute of Peace on July 1

2013 Webcast is available at httpwwwusiporgeventscroatias-

eu-accession-spreading-peace-through-integration

Reflect ing on Croat ia lsquos EU

membership EU Ambassador Joatildeo

Vale de Alme ida in a video with

Cro at ia lsquos Ambassador t o t he

Unit ed Stat es Joško Paro po int ed

out t hat Croat ia beco ming a mem-

ber shows the dynamism and

vit a l it y o f t he European Union I t

a lso il lust rat es how much has

changed in t he Ba lkans where the

prospect o f jo ining the EU has

been a dr iving fo rce in t erms o f

re fo rm and reconc i l iat ion ―I t lsquos

good fo r Croat ia but it lsquos a lso good fo r Europe sa id

Ambassador Va le de Almeida no t ing that Croat ialsquos mem-

bership ―cont r ibutes to our st abil it y secur it y and a lso to

our prosper it y

Ambassador Paro noted that t he benef it s o f EU member-

ship are mutua l and that Croat ia wil l be

an agent o f peace ―Above a ll we are a

l iv ing proof t hat t he European Union is

about enlarg ing the area o f peace and

prosper it y he sa id ―This ver y process

of access io n has changed the count ry

fro m wit hin so pro found ly and fundamen-

t ally t hat fro m a country in conf lict we

are now a count ry that can pro ject t he

exper ience o f st abil izat ion int erna l

reconc il iat ion and peace to our ne ighbor-

hoods

Both Ambassadors a lso highl ighted

that a st ronger Europe is good fo r Amer ica

The video is ava i lable at ht t p wwwyoutubecomwatch

v=tDfZxo5o lMc

Interview with Croatian Ambassador Joško Paro and EU Ambassador Interview with Croatian Ambassador Joško Paro and EU Ambassador Interview with Croatian Ambassador Joško Paro and EU Ambassador

Joatildeo Vale de Almeida on Croatiarsquos Entry into the EUJoatildeo Vale de Almeida on Croatiarsquos Entry into the EUJoatildeo Vale de Almeida on Croatiarsquos Entry into the EU

2

Croatias accession to the European union celebrated at the Croatias accession to the European union celebrated at the Croatias accession to the European union celebrated at the

EU Delegation in Washington DCEU Delegation in Washington DCEU Delegation in Washington DC

The Delegat ion o f t he European Union to t he Unit ed

Stat es host ed a celebrat ion event to mark Croat ia s Acces-

s ion to t he EU at t he Delegat io n s headquar t ers on Ju ly 1

2013 in Washington DC

A flag o f Croat ia was unve i led in t he l ine o f f lags o f

EU member st at es and a t imel ine wa l l featur ing impor t ant

event s in t he EU histo ry was ext ended to feature Croat ia

as 28th member st at e and to honour t he Nobe l Pr ize

awarded to t he EU in 2012

copy Delegation of the EU to the US

copy Delegation of the EU to the US

Panel discussion bdquoCroatiarsquos EU Accession Spreading Peace through Panel discussion bdquoCroatiarsquos EU Accession Spreading Peace through Panel discussion bdquoCroatiarsquos EU Accession Spreading Peace through

Integrationrdquo held at the US Institute of PeaceIntegrationrdquo held at the US Institute of PeaceIntegrationrdquo held at the US Institute of Peace

The Embassy of the Republic of Croatia the Delegation of the

European Union to the United States of America and the US

Institute of Peace organized a panel discussion with Ambassador

Joško Paro Ambassador Joatildeo Vale de Almeida Ambassador Peter

Galbtraith and Mr Jonathan Moore about Croatialsquos journey to

accession into the EU and the regional implications of Croatialsquos

membership

The panel was held at the US Institute of Peace on July 1

2013 Webcast is available at httpwwwusiporgeventscroatias-

eu-accession-spreading-peace-through-integration

Reflect ing on Croat ia lsquos EU

membership EU Ambassador Joatildeo

Vale de Alme ida in a video with

Cro at ia lsquos Ambassador t o t he

Unit ed Stat es Joško Paro po int ed

out t hat Croat ia beco ming a mem-

ber shows the dynamism and

vit a l it y o f t he European Union I t

a lso il lust rat es how much has

changed in t he Ba lkans where the

prospect o f jo ining the EU has

been a dr iving fo rce in t erms o f

re fo rm and reconc i l iat ion ―I t lsquos

good fo r Croat ia but it lsquos a lso good fo r Europe sa id

Ambassador Va le de Almeida no t ing that Croat ialsquos mem-

bership ―cont r ibutes to our st abil it y secur it y and a lso to

our prosper it y

Ambassador Paro noted that t he benef it s o f EU member-

ship are mutua l and that Croat ia wil l be

an agent o f peace ―Above a ll we are a

l iv ing proof t hat t he European Union is

about enlarg ing the area o f peace and

prosper it y he sa id ―This ver y process

of access io n has changed the count ry

fro m wit hin so pro found ly and fundamen-

t ally t hat fro m a country in conf lict we

are now a count ry that can pro ject t he

exper ience o f st abil izat ion int erna l

reconc il iat ion and peace to our ne ighbor-

hoods

Both Ambassadors a lso highl ighted

that a st ronger Europe is good fo r Amer ica

The video is ava i lable at ht t p wwwyoutubecomwatch

v=tDfZxo5o lMc

Interview with Croatian Ambassador Joško Paro and EU Ambassador Interview with Croatian Ambassador Joško Paro and EU Ambassador Interview with Croatian Ambassador Joško Paro and EU Ambassador

Joatildeo Vale de Almeida on Croatiarsquos Entry into the EUJoatildeo Vale de Almeida on Croatiarsquos Entry into the EUJoatildeo Vale de Almeida on Croatiarsquos Entry into the EU

3

The publ icat ion Croa-

t ia land and peop le has

been produced in co llabo-

rat ion with the Minist r y

o f Fore ign and European

Affa ir s o f t he Republ ic

o f Croat ia to mark the

ent r y o f Croat ia into t he

European Unio n

I t i s p r imar i ly in-

t e nd e d fo r t he hu g e

publ ic in t he o ther mem-

ber st at es and fo r al l

t hose who want or need

in fo r mat io n a bo u t t he

newest EU member So it

has been produced in

severa l languages It is a

so rt o f ―ident it y card

provid ing the most impor t ant info r mat ion about t he

count ry in a conc ise readable way ndash it s geography

histo ry po lit ica l o rganizat ion populat ion econo my

cu lture and soc iet y

Alo ngs ide an overview o f genera lly known fact s we

have inc luded so me int erest ing det ails t hrough which

Croat ia can cont r ibute to t he unit y and d ivers it y o f

Europe and which the ed itor ia l board cons idered were

probably less we l l known to t he wider publ ic unt il now

Of course as with any se lect ion t his one is arbit rar y to

some extent

At t ent ion is pa id to t he centur ies o f l inks between

Croat ia and o ther European count r ies and peoples Due to

it s pos it ion within Europe modern Cr oat ia was in t he

past exposed to differ ent inf luences which are re flect ed

in it s nat iona l and cu ltura l ident it y and in it s t ang ible

and sp ir it ua l her it age

The book was produced at t he Miros lav Kr leža I nst i-

t ut e o f Lexicography In co mpil ing t ext s and se lect ing

i l lust rat ions fo r t his publ icat ion t he authors and ed itors

re lied pr imar i ly on previous publ icat ions by the Inst it ut e

with t he a im o f mak ing Croat ia more access ib le t o t he

fo re ign publ ic

American Jewish Committee American Jewish Committee American Jewish Committee

Welcomes Croatias Membership Welcomes Croatias Membership Welcomes Croatias Membership

This is wonder fu l

news sa id AJC Ex-

ecut ive Dir ector David

Harr is We have lo ng

been admir ers o f t he

ambit ious vis io n o f t he

EUs founders aga inst t he backdrop o f Europes past wars

to creat e a zone o f peace open borders enhanced co m-

merce and great er underst and ing Croat ia s member ship

now fur ther expands that zone

We app laud Croat ia fo r it s remarkably successfu l

jour ney dur ing a re lat ive ly short t ime span mdash ju st over two

decadesmdash t o reach this milestone occas ion It augurs we ll

fo r t he people o f Croat ia and fo r t he Ba lkans Wit h the

fo r mer Yugos lav republ ics o f S lo venia and Croat ia now

par t o f t he EU as we ll a s Bu lgar ia Greece and Ro mania

and others in t he ne ighborhood seek ing to fo llow su it we

can envis io n an ent ire ly new era fo r t his promis ing reg io n

which in t he past was too o ft en syno nymous wit h conf l ict

and enmit y

DC Mayor Vincent Gray Con-DC Mayor Vincent Gray Con-DC Mayor Vincent Gray Con-

gratulates Croatia on the acces-gratulates Croatia on the acces-gratulates Croatia on the acces-

sion to the European Union sion to the European Union sion to the European Union In his letter of congratulations Mayor of the District of

Columbia Vincent C Gray emphasized that this was an

important milestone for the people of Croatia and con-

gratulated all those who have worked tirelessly on this

achievement

Want to learn more about the EUrsquos Want to learn more about the EUrsquos Want to learn more about the EUrsquos

28th Member State 28th Member State 28th Member State

Download a brochure ldquoCroatia land and peoplerdquo

Croatian Police Inspector Croatian Police Inspector Croatian Police Inspector

receives the 2013 Heroes receives the 2013 Heroes receives the 2013 Heroes

AwardAwardAward

At a ceremony in Washington on June 19 2013 Ms

Kat r in Glu ic was recognized by US Secret ary o f St at e

John Kerr y as one o f t he ―2013 Heroes in t he Fight

Aga inst Modern S laver y fo r her work to combat mod-

ern s laver y in Croat ia

As a Chie f Po lice Inspecto r within the Nat iona l

Po lice Off ice fo r t he Suppress ion o f Corrupt ion and

Organized Cr ime Ms Glu ic coordinat es human t raff ick-

ing invest igat ions and oversees ass ist ance to vict ims o f

human t raffick ing and fo rced labor She des igned and

coordinat ed an ant i- t raff ick ing t raining program that is

used by many law enfo rcement o rganiza t ions in Croat ia

and she oversees ass ist ance to t raff ick ing vict ims as a

leader o f Croat ia s highly e ffect ive and innovat ive

Mobile Teams which can rap id ly dep lo y to provide

in it ia l care and prot ect ion to t raff ick ing vict ims

4

The Nat iona l Federat ion o f Croat ian Amer icans Cu ltura l

Foundat ion (NFCACF) has e lect ed a new President Mr

Pau l Tonšet ić - Kunder to succeed Mr Bil l Vergo t who is

ret ir ing a ft er serving two t erms as Pres ident since 2011

The vo te o f De legate and Execut ive Board members was

t aken at 20th Annua l Conference in St Pet e Beach Flo r ida

and announced immediat e ly dur ing the conference

―I have co me to know Paul over t he past few years and

have worked ver y c lose ly wit h him recent ly on issues co re

to our causes Paullsquos appo int ment was unanimous ly sup-

port ed by our ent ire De legat ion and Execut ive Board I am

confident t hat he wil l cont inue the t rad it iona l and ded i-

cat ed leader ship o f our o rganizat ion going fo rward said

outgo ing Pres ident Vergot

Mr Tonšet ić -Kunder o f Cora l

Spr ings Flo r ida is a t hird gen-

erat ion Croat ian Amer ican o r ig i-

na l ly bo rn and ra ised in P it t s-

burgh PA Both materna l and

f r a t e r na l g r a ndpar e nt s c a me

fro m Croat ia in t he ear ly 1900lsquos

(Samobor and Grubišno Po lje)

and they set t led in t he Western

Pennsylvan ia area

In add it ion t he De legates

a lso appo int ed a new execut ive

board fo r 2013-2014 year They

are Pres ident ndash Paul Tonšet ić -

Kunder Execut ive Vice Pres i-

dent ndash Zvonko Labas Treasurer

ndash Michae l St empihar Secret ary

ndash Anne Pavlich I mmediat e Past

P r e s i d e n t ndash B i l l V e r -

got Ass ist ant Treasurer ndash Jay

Hunter Par liamentar ian ndash Tom Steich Reg iona l Vice

Pres ident s were a lso appo int ed East ern ndash S t eve Rukav-

ina Cent ra l ndash Frank Jer bic Western ndash J im Kres-

nick Off icers-at -Large were named John Kra l j ic Mar io

Spa lat in and Char les St efanac

Publ ic Affa ir s Directo r Joe Fo ley over viewed act ivit ie s

in Washington His report highlighted the int roduct ion in

t he US Senate o f Senate Reso lut ion 131 ndash a lso known as

t he Beg ich Reso lut ionlsquo ndash and the subsequent Ba lkans

press coverage o f t his new leg is lat ive in it iat ive S Res

131 was int roduced by Senato r Mark Beg ich o f Alaska on

May 8th and ca lls fo r a Pres ident ia l Spec ia l Envo y to be

appo int ed fo r Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to eva luat e

t he successes and fa ilures to dat e o f t he Dayton Peace

Accords (DPA) in p lace s ince 1994 The Spec ia l Envo y is

to report back to t he Congress a ft er reviewing the man y

current po lit ica l d if f icu lt ies t hreat ening BiH and the re-

g ion Reco mmendat ions per t a ining to revers ing the eco -

no mic and po lit ica l d iscr iminato ry t rend aga inst Bosnia n

Croat s - as one o f t he three DPA-des ignated const it uent

peoples in BiH - are a lso to be par t o f t he Envo ylsquos

agenda Reso lut ion o f t his ongo ing cr is is in BiH is cons id-

ered by many fo re ign po licy exper t s to be the lynchp in fo r

t he future success o f Bosnia and Herzegovina

The public sess io n o f t he Assembly was conducted in

t he aft ernoon Fir st Miss Amer ica 2011 Teresa Scan lan

spoke to t he De legates and the publ ic about her goals fo r

invo lv ing more youth in advanc ing humanit ar ian ass ist ance

via her int ernat iona l representat ion o f Croat ian Re l ie f

Services Inc Miss Scanlo n overviewed her recent vis it s to

t he o rphanage in Port -au-Pr ince Ha it i founded by Fr

Gio rdano Be lanich who leads this non-pro fit NGO

(wwwcroat ianre lie fo rg)

Edward Joseph a Johns Hopk ins Univers it y fo re ig n

service schoo l pro fesso r and fo rmer Deputy Head o f t he

OSCE Miss io n in Kosovo spoke to t he De legates about t he

current po lit ica l c l imate in t he Ba lkans Mr Joseph spoke

comprehens ive ly no t ing that Bosnia remains a pr isoner o f

Dayton However t he Apr il 19th rapprochement between

Kosovo and Ser bia fac i l it at ed by EU High Representat ive

Cather ine Ashton was a sign fo r poss ible bet t er po lit ica l

t rends to come fo r t he Ba lkans

Ambassador to t he US from Croat ia His E xce l lenc y

Josko Paro and Ambassador to t he

US fro m BiH Her Exce l lency Jad-

ranka Negodic both spoke at length

to t he conference Ambassador Paro

highl ighted the impor t ance o f Croat ia

ga ining admit t ance to t he US Visa

Waiver Program and his apprec iat ion

fo r NFCACFlsquos cont inued st rong

support o f t his goa l in Washing-

ton The coming ce lebrat ion on Ju ly

1st o f Croat ia lsquos fu l l a scens io n to t he

European Unio n was reviewed by

Ambassador Paro Fee lings o f pr ide

and success re lat ed to t his impor t ant

achievement fo r t he Republ ic were

pa lpable amo ngst t he De legates and

the Croat ian d ip lo mat s at t end ing the

Assembly

Amba ssado r Nego d ic o f B iH

c losed with a review o f t he many

cha l lenges faced by her count ry

which remains in t he midst o f a frozen confl ict lsquo She also

c it ed the impor t ance o f t he new po lit ica l d ia logue inherent

in t he Apr il 19th Agreement between Serbia and Kosovo

and the need fo r rea list ic domest ic po lit ica l re fo r ms as BiH

mo ves fo rward with it s goa l o f jo in ing NATO Bo th Am-

bassadors Negodic and Paro were complimentar y regard ing

t he NFCACFlsquos cont r ibut ions toward the recent int roduct ion

o f t he Beg ich Reso lut ionlsquo in t he US Senate fo r t he Pres i-

dent to appo int a Spec ia l E nvo y fo r Bosnia Both agreed a

Spec ia l Envo y wil l have a pos it ive impact on the current

st at e o f affa irs in BiH and the relat ed report back to t he

US Congress with spec if ic po licy reco mmendat ions is lo ng

overdue

The NFCACF i s a non -prof i t 501 (c ) (3) organi zat ion

dedicated to promoting the interes t of the Croat ian peo-

ple - embodying heri tage of cul ture and language integ-

ri ty in human rights and equal i ty in self -determinat ion

advancing economic development and freedom from

persecut ion For further response on this NFCACF press

announcement please contact Mr Joe Foley Publ ic

Affairs Director in Washington on (301) 294 -0937 The

NFCACF is the nat ional umbrel la organi zat ion estab-

l ished in 1993 for Croat ian Americans related profes-

sional associat ions and the many fraternal lodges that

col lect i vely represent approximately 130000 mem-

bers For individual membership and chapter informa-

t ion recent newslet te rs and other Croat ian American

news pl ease visi t our web si te wwwnfcacf org

National Federation of Croatian Americans Elects New President and National Federation of Croatian Americans Elects New President and National Federation of Croatian Americans Elects New President and

Celebrates First 20 Years Celebrates First 20 Years Celebrates First 20 Years

National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation Elects New President Paul Tonšetić-Kunder and Celebrates

Its First Twenty Years at National Assembly in St Pete Beach Florida

5

Croatian Righteous Among the Nations Croatian Righteous Among the Nations Croatian Righteous Among the Nations

An exhibition on the Croatian Gentiles who saved Jews during the Holocaust opened at the IHMEC in Chicago

On June 20 2013

Directo r o f t he I ll ino is

Ho locaust Museum and

Educat ion Center Rich-

ard Hirchhaut ( IHMEC)

a n d C r o a t i a n C o n s u l

G e n e r a l i n C h i c a g o

J e l e n a G r č i ć P o l i ć

opened the exhib it io n on

t he bdquoCroat ian Righteous

Amo ng the Nat ions― t he

f ir st ever to be exhib it ed

ins ide the Museum

The IHMEC is known

fo r it s open a ir memor ia l

Founta in o f t he Right -

eous in t he hear t o f

Skokie t he p lace wit h

the largest concent rat ion

o f t he Ho locaust survivors in t he Unit ed Stat es The open-

ing recept ion was at t ended by a few survivors inc lud ing

the IHMEC President Ms Fr it z ie Fr it zsha l l and a Croat ian

born Chicagoan Dr Dan Stockhamme r who was saved

himse lf by Croat ian gent ile rescuers The opening recep-

t ion wil l mo st like ly be remembered bes t by the vir tuoso a

cape lla per fo r mance o f Flo r i Yagodas lo ve songs in La-

d ino by Alber to Mizrahi Hazzan o f the histor ic Anshe

Emet Synagogue in Chicago Mr Mizrahi a lso known as

bdquoJewish Pavarot t ildquo t ranspor t ed us br ie f ly but seduct ive ly

and powerfu l ly t o ba lmy summer nights in Sp lit and Du-

brovnik at t he Adr iat ic coast t hat make romance bigger

t han li fe

The exhibit io n features a se lect set o f narrat ives about

t he brave c it izens o f Croat ia who liv ing under t he Naz i

puppet Ustashi reg ime res ist ed fasc ist oppress ion to save

Jews fro m persecut ion and murder The Righteous Among

the Nat ions t it le is g iven by

Yad Vashem in Jerusa lem to

no n- Je w s w ho r isk ed t he ir

l ives t o save Jews dur ing the

Ho locaust A spec ia l co mmis-

s ion headed by Supreme Cour t

Just ice o f t he St at e o f Israe l

be s t o w s t he t it le o n e a c h

honoree Rescuers rece ive a

p laque o f honor and meda l and

the ir names are engraved on

the wa lls o f t he Garden o f t he

Righteous By Januar y 2013

over 24000 Right eous men

and wo men fro m 47 countr ies

ha ve be e n r e c o g n iz e d a nd

honored with that t it le 109

among them are Croat ian

T h e e x h i b i t i o n c u r a t o r

Branka Souml men drew on the book by Mir iam Ste iner -

Aviezer Hrvat sk i pravednic i (Croat ian Righteous) Zagreb

Novi Liber 2008 Ms Soumlmen l ives in Zagreb and is cur-

rent ly working on est ablish ing a Museum on To lerance

Ms St einer -Aviezer a Child Ho locaust survivor fro m

Kar lo vac Croat ia lives in Israe l and is a member o f t he

Commit t ee fo r recogniz ing Righteous at Yad Vashem

The exhib it io n is open fo r daily viewing unt il t he end o f

t he year at t he I ll ino is Ho locaust Museum and Educat ion

Center The Stat e o f I ll ino is was the fi rst in t he Unio n to

mandate educat ion on Holocaust and subsequent ly a l l

contemporar y genoc ides

Educat ing young and o ld about t he Ho locaust t he int e l-

lectua l histo ry that insp ired it it s his to r ica l agent s and

context - - but above a ll about ind iv idua ls t hat confronted

it t he Power o f One - - remains ind ispensable to t he pursu it

o f t ruth both loca lly and wor ldwide

Flory Jagoda Flory Jagoda Flory Jagoda ndashndashndash The Celebration Concert at the Library of CongressThe Celebration Concert at the Library of CongressThe Celebration Concert at the Library of Congress

September 21 2013 at 800 pm Coolidge Auditorium Library of Congress 10 1st Street SE Washington DC

This concer t ce lebrat es Flo r y Jagodalsquos int ernat io na l ly recognized career as

s inger composer and t eacher o f Sephard ic song and wil l honor her ro le as

―keeper o f t he flame fo r preserving perpetuat ing and expand ing this venerable

Jewish cu ltura l t radit ion Musica l co lleagues from the Washington DC area and

beyo nd wil l jo in Jagoda to perfo rm the songs that she has t aught t hem in her quest

to t ransmit her familylsquos musica l her it age and keep it vibr ant ly a l ive The concert

wil l be documented by JEMGLO an award -winning documentar y fi lm co mpany

and wil l serve as a cent ral e lement in a fi lm about Flo r ylsquos li fe and music JEM-

GLOlsquos work focuses on Jewish cu lture in it s many g lo ba l and histo r ica l manifes -

t at ions

Born in Sara jevo Bosnia in 1923 Flo r y Jagoda grew up in Zagreb and spent

t ime dur ing Wor ld War I I in Sp lit and Korcu la She learned many songs fro m her

Nona (grandmother) and o ther family members who were known as t he ―S ing ing

Alt aračs Her o r ig ina l co mposit ions and ar rangement s have been per fo rmed and

reco rded by s ingers and groups in t he US and Europe and many are now fir mly

ent renched in Sephard ic song t rad it ion

A 2002 recip ient o f a Nat iona l Her it age Fe llowship presented by the Nat iona l

Endowment fo r t he Art s Jagoda lat er served as a Master Ar t ist in t he Fo lk li fe

Apprent iceship Program fo r t he Virg inia Foundat ion fo r t he Humanit ies In 2003

the Amer ican I mmigrat ion Counc il honored her with an I mmigrant Achievement

Award In March 2003 she was the so lo ist in a ceremo ny at Oświęc im Po land

(Auschwit z) commemorat ing the Sephard ic Jews who per ished there dur ing the

Ho locaust She has per fo r med throughout t he US and in Bosnia Croat ia Spain Aust r ia Turkey France Russ ia

Canada and Israe l She has made five reco rdings and publ ished The Flo r y Jagoda Songbook (1993 Tara Publica-

t ions) which inc ludes her songs biography and family pho tos from the fo r mer Yugos lavia Jagoda has been a res i-

dent o f t he Unit ed Stat es fo r sixt y- f ive years and res ides in Alexandr ia Virg in ia with her husband Harry

The concer t is be ing presented under the ausp ices o f t he Homegrown Concer t Ser ies at t he Amer ican Fo lk l ife

Center o f t he Librar y o f Congress

6

Croatia Travel News RoundupCroatia Travel News RoundupCroatia Travel News Roundup by Jeanne Oliverby Jeanne Oliverby Jeanne Oliver

Par ty on Croat ia The

summer o f fun st art ed on

Ju ly 1 with Croat ia s o ff i-

c ia l ent r y into t he EU and

cont inues with a flur r y o f

fest iva ls a l l t hroughout t he summer Vis it o rs to Croat ia

can look fo rward to more t ransport opt ions new s ight s

and tours plus exc it ing deve lopment s on the d ining and

lodg ing scene

Game o f Thrones

The popular HBO ser ies fi lmed par t s o f seasons two

and three in Dubrovnik and is schedu led to return to film

season four Filming in Dubrovnik beg ins on August 20

and last s fo r one month when fo r t he fi rst t ime t he cast

wil l head to Split and fi lm fro m September 21 to October

10 True fans wil l want to sign up fo r Viato r s new Game

o f Thrones tours o f Dubrovnik a lthough it s cer t a inly

poss ible to vis it t he s it es independent ly

Hote ls

The Bout ique Hostel Forum in Zadar is enjo ying it s

f ir st fu l l season t reat ing it s lucky customers t o a st andard

o f comfor t almost unknown at t he budget leve l Croat ian

archit ect Toma P le j ić and des igner Damir Gamulin have

creat ed a dazz ling space that runs from dor mito r ies on

the fir st floo r to doubles and luxur y su it es on the top

f loo rs All have views o f Zadar s cent ral Forum square

In Zagreb the c it ys o ldest hotel t he Hotel Jadran has

t ransfo r med it se lf wit h a tot al overhau l and is now a

s leek and modern space The downtown locat ion makes it

a perfect launching pad fo r a discover y o f Croat ia s

cap it a l

Dining

Loca l and authent ic cu is ine are t he new watchwords

Rovinj s be lo ved konoba Kant inon has passed into the

capable hands o f sommelier E mil Per dec and gourmet

chef Tomis lav Gret ic They vow to use loca l Ist r ian

ingred ient s only in a menu o f loca l spec ia lt ie s based on

coast al cu is ine

St ar chef Dino Galvagno renowned fo r sparking up

Zagreb s rest aurant scene wit h Prasac has launched an

even more ambit ious pro ject Peta Cetvrt ina where he

commit s to using only the freshest and most seasona l

product s from loca l far mers Weeds a lgae wild oyst ers

black S lavonian p igs and qua i l are combined in sensa-

t iona l new d ishes Even the wine list is a surpr ise con-

cent rat ing on o rganic wine fro m less - her a lded vineyards

Sight s

S ibenik has opened a brand -new Aquar ium r ight in t he

town center Some 500 fish o f 100 d if fe rent spec ies g l ide

around 20 huge t anks The st ar at t ract ion is bound to be a

smooth hound shark recent ly caught in loca l waters The

aquar ium is open da ily

Transport

The Kr ilo co mpany has rest art ed it s highly convenient

seasona l Sp l it -Hvar cat amaran with a schedu le t hat al-

lows vis it o rs t o leave Sp lit in t he morning and return in

t he ear ly evening T he same co mpany has t aken over

Jadro lin i ja s Sp lit -Hvar-Vis cat amaran while Jadro lini ja

now runs the Sp lit -Hvar-Korcu la cat amaran

Croat ia Air l ines has long had a mo nopo ly on int erna l

routes but no more Trade Air has announced that fl ight s

wil l beg in soon between Zagreb and Osijek and most

int erest ing fo r t rave lers a Rijeka -Sp l it -Dubrovnik route

I t has long been a cha l lenge to combine a vis it t o Ist r ia

Kvar ner and Dalmat ia in one t r ip but t his new route wil l

make it much eas ier to exp lo re t he length o f Croat ia s

coast

For more Croat ia t rave l in formation see Jeanne s

websit e wwwcroat iat rave l ler com

Croatia is in the Top 10 European Travel Destinations for 2013 by Croatia is in the Top 10 European Travel Destinations for 2013 by Croatia is in the Top 10 European Travel Destinations for 2013 by Lonely Planet Lonely Planet Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet has included Croatia on its list of Top 10 European travel destinations for 2013 This what they had to say

Ca ll ing Croat ia a ho t spot is somewhat o ld news in t rave l c irc les ndash it s popular it y is fir mly est abl ished amo ng European

t rave llers and st eeply on the r ise among Amer icans as we ll But many t rave l lers are only see ing one sunny s l ice o f t he

count ry lured to t he near ly 2000km- lo ng coast line meanwhile miss ing the diverse char ms o f t he inland c it ie s nat iona l

parks and count rys ide

Zagreb t he EUlsquos newest cap it a l c it y is a hip c it y wit h wa lkable st reet s and a ca feacute scene so ingra ined that so me re fer

to t he c it y as one large outdoor cafeacute Surpass ing even the no table beaut y o f t he coast Plit vice Lakes Nat iona l Park is a

nature- loverlsquos parad ise with r ibbons o f br ight t urquo ise lakes and water fa l ls se t aga inst a backdrop o f karst cli ffs and

mossy t raver t ine

Back on the coast histo r ic Dubrovnik wil l de l ight vis it o rs even if t hey donlsquot know that t heylsquore st and ing in Kinglsquos

Land ing from the popu lar Game o f Thrones t elevis io n show

Read more ht tp wwwlone lyp lanet comeuropet rave l - t ip s-and-ar t ic les77757 ixzz2ZVWlrgeH

copy Plitvice Lakes National Park Photo by Kelly Cheng Getty Images

6

Croatia Travel News RoundupCroatia Travel News RoundupCroatia Travel News Roundup by Jeanne Oliverby Jeanne Oliverby Jeanne Oliver

Par ty on Croat ia The

summer o f fun st art ed on

Ju ly 1 with Croat ia s o ff i-

c ia l ent r y into t he EU and

cont inues with a flur r y o f

fest iva ls a l l t hroughout t he summer Vis it o rs to Croat ia

can look fo rward to more t ransport opt ions new s ight s

and tours plus exc it ing deve lopment s on the d ining and

lodg ing scene

Game o f Thrones

The popular HBO ser ies fi lmed par t s o f seasons two

and three in Dubrovnik and is schedu led to return to film

season four Filming in Dubrovnik beg ins on August 20

and last s fo r one month when fo r t he fi rst t ime t he cast

wil l head to Split and fi lm fro m September 21 to October

10 True fans wil l want to sign up fo r Viato r s new Game

o f Thrones tours o f Dubrovnik a lthough it s cer t a inly

poss ible to vis it t he s it es independent ly

Hote ls

The Bout ique Hostel Forum in Zadar is enjo ying it s

f ir st fu l l season t reat ing it s lucky customers t o a st andard

o f comfor t almost unknown at t he budget leve l Croat ian

archit ect Toma P le j ić and des igner Damir Gamulin have

creat ed a dazz ling space that runs from dor mito r ies on

the fir st floo r to doubles and luxur y su it es on the top

f loo rs All have views o f Zadar s cent ral Forum square

In Zagreb the c it ys o ldest hotel t he Hotel Jadran has

t ransfo r med it se lf wit h a tot al overhau l and is now a

s leek and modern space The downtown locat ion makes it

a perfect launching pad fo r a discover y o f Croat ia s

cap it a l

Dining

Loca l and authent ic cu is ine are t he new watchwords

Rovinj s be lo ved konoba Kant inon has passed into the

capable hands o f sommelier E mil Per dec and gourmet

chef Tomis lav Gret ic They vow to use loca l Ist r ian

ingred ient s only in a menu o f loca l spec ia lt ie s based on

coast al cu is ine

St ar chef Dino Galvagno renowned fo r sparking up

Zagreb s rest aurant scene wit h Prasac has launched an

even more ambit ious pro ject Peta Cetvrt ina where he

commit s to using only the freshest and most seasona l

product s from loca l far mers Weeds a lgae wild oyst ers

black S lavonian p igs and qua i l are combined in sensa-

t iona l new d ishes Even the wine list is a surpr ise con-

cent rat ing on o rganic wine fro m less - her a lded vineyards

Sight s

S ibenik has opened a brand -new Aquar ium r ight in t he

town center Some 500 fish o f 100 d if fe rent spec ies g l ide

around 20 huge t anks The st ar at t ract ion is bound to be a

smooth hound shark recent ly caught in loca l waters The

aquar ium is open da ily

Transport

The Kr ilo co mpany has rest art ed it s highly convenient

seasona l Sp l it -Hvar cat amaran with a schedu le t hat al-

lows vis it o rs t o leave Sp lit in t he morning and return in

t he ear ly evening T he same co mpany has t aken over

Jadro lin i ja s Sp lit -Hvar-Vis cat amaran while Jadro lini ja

now runs the Sp lit -Hvar-Korcu la cat amaran

Croat ia Air l ines has long had a mo nopo ly on int erna l

routes but no more Trade Air has announced that fl ight s

wil l beg in soon between Zagreb and Osijek and most

int erest ing fo r t rave lers a Rijeka -Sp l it -Dubrovnik route

I t has long been a cha l lenge to combine a vis it t o Ist r ia

Kvar ner and Dalmat ia in one t r ip but t his new route wil l

make it much eas ier to exp lo re t he length o f Croat ia s

coast

For more Croat ia t rave l in formation see Jeanne s

websit e wwwcroat iat rave l ler com

Croatia is in the Top 10 European Travel Destinations for 2013 by Croatia is in the Top 10 European Travel Destinations for 2013 by Croatia is in the Top 10 European Travel Destinations for 2013 by Lonely Planet Lonely Planet Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet has included Croatia on its list of Top 10 European travel destinations for 2013 This what they had to say

Ca ll ing Croat ia a ho t spot is somewhat o ld news in t rave l c irc les ndash it s popular it y is fir mly est abl ished amo ng European

t rave llers and st eeply on the r ise among Amer icans as we ll But many t rave l lers are only see ing one sunny s l ice o f t he

count ry lured to t he near ly 2000km- lo ng coast line meanwhile miss ing the diverse char ms o f t he inland c it ie s nat iona l

parks and count rys ide

Zagreb t he EUlsquos newest cap it a l c it y is a hip c it y wit h wa lkable st reet s and a ca feacute scene so ingra ined that so me re fer

to t he c it y as one large outdoor cafeacute Surpass ing even the no table beaut y o f t he coast Plit vice Lakes Nat iona l Park is a

nature- loverlsquos parad ise with r ibbons o f br ight t urquo ise lakes and water fa l ls se t aga inst a backdrop o f karst cli ffs and

mossy t raver t ine

Back on the coast histo r ic Dubrovnik wil l de l ight vis it o rs even if t hey donlsquot know that t heylsquore st and ing in Kinglsquos

Land ing from the popu lar Game o f Thrones t elevis io n show

Read more ht tp wwwlone lyp lanet comeuropet rave l - t ip s-and-ar t ic les77757 ixzz2ZVWlrgeH

copy Plitvice Lakes National Park Photo by Kelly Cheng Getty Images

7

Photo of the MonthPhoto of the MonthPhoto of the Month

Each month we will publish a photo of

Croatia taken by one of the millions of

foreign tourist that discover ldquoThe Medi-

terranean as it once wasrdquo every year

For more of these check out the offi-

cial Facebook page of Croatia ldquoLove

Croatiardquo or visit wwwcroatiahr

This monthrsquos photo features sunset

somewhere along the Adriatic coast

Courtesy of Adam Sołtysiak

Enjoy

copy The Croatia Monthly is a free electronic newsletter published by the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia to the United States

of America 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20008-2803 Tel+(202) 588 5899 Fax+(202) 588 8937 Pub-

lisher Ambassador Joško Paro Editor Dino Mihanović Second Secretary Free subscription un-subscription or comments

washingtonmvephr Neither the Embassy nor the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs accept any responsibility or liabil-

ity whatsoever with regard to the information in this newsletter Feel free to forward this newsletter to all that might be interested

in its content

Visit CroatiaVisit CroatiaVisit Croatia

Croatian National Tourist Board onlineCroatian National Tourist Board onlineCroatian National Tourist Board online

wwwcroatiahr

Speaking of FactsSpeaking of FactsSpeaking of Facts

The Kornati archipelago of Croatia

with its 140 islands is the densest

archipelago in the Mediterranean

Sea

George Bernard Shaw described

Kornati in the following way

During the last days of creation

God wished to crown his work and

hence from his own tears stars and

breath created Kornati