HEAD OF JEWISH ASSOCIATION SAYS JEWS HAVE NO PLANS TO RETURN TO KOSOVO
Tanjug - August 22, 2003

Berlin, 22 August: President of the Association of Jewish Communities of Yugoslavia Aca Singer has said that he doubts very much that any of the Jews that had been driven out of Kosovo and Metohija would ever return there owing to the bad economic and security situation in the province.

"Soon after the withdrawal of the Serbian security forces (in 1999), a mass exodus began because the everyday life had become dangerous. Almost all of the members of the small Jewish community in the province's capital Pristina have found refuge in Belgrade," said Singer in an interview published by the Berlin Junge Welt.

The Jewish community has been present in Kosovo-Metohija for 500 years. Singer said that there are only a few Jews left in Prizren today, but they have never been active in Jewish municipalities. Unlike them, those who had fled Pristina were active members of Jewish municipalities and often appeared in public as Jews. "This was crucial for their expelling," said Singer.

When asked why Jews had not returned to Kosovo after the arrival of the UN peace-keeping mission, Singer replied that "most of the Jews who had fled Kosovo speak Serbian language, which is a drawback in Kosovo".

Tanjug news agency, Belgrade, in English 1051 gmt 22 Aug 03
Text of report in English by Yugoslav state news agency Tanjug

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