Written by: Rajko Jajčanin
As the world watches the humanitarian catastrophe unfold in Gaza – where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, including a staggering number of women and children – Montenegrin politician Andrija Mandić remains conspicuously silent. He issues no statements, takes no position, and doesn’t even feign concern. And that silence is no accident.
Mandić, Speaker of Montenegro’s Parliament and leader of the New Serb Democracy (NSD), has been meticulously crafting the image of a politician with strong ties to Israel. Much like Milorad Dodik, he plays the “friend of Israel” card to obscure his radical past and curry favor with Western powers. One of Montenegro’s two Jewish communities has played a key – and remarkably convenient – role in helping Mandić shape this narrative.
A Chetnik and a Philosemite
Montenegro is home to two Jewish communities: one led by Nina Oftner Bokan, the other by Rabbi Ari Edelkopf. Both emerged from the previously unified community founded by the late Jaša Alfandari, a towering figure who served as the first head of the Jewish Community of Montenegro. Following his death, the community split into two parallel factions, each with its worldview.
For years, Nina Oftner Bokan has openly aligned herself with Mandić and his party. Mandić is a regular guest at Hanukkah celebrations – a holiday that commemorates the triumph of light over tyranny. Together, they light candles, deliver speeches, pose for photographs, and cultivate the image of a “reconciliatory leader.” Marko Kovačević, the mayor of Nikšić and a prominent NSD member, joined Oftner Bokan in erecting a Jewish memorial at Kapino Polje.
At first glance, these gestures may seem like sincere acknowledgments of Montenegro’s Jewish heritage.
But there’s a deeper – and far more troubling – layer to the story.
The Chetnik Legacy and Erased Crimes
Andrija Mandić has never distanced himself from the title of Chetnik vojvoda (commander). In fact, he embraces it with pride, actively engaging in historical revisionism. Yet the historical record is unequivocal: during World War II, the Chetnik movement in Montenegro, under local leadership, collaborated with Nazi forces. In early 1944, a major raid – carried out by Nazis with the help of local collaborators, including Chetniks – led to the arrest of dozens of Jews in Montenegro. Most never returned from the death camps.
So how can a man who proudly claims that legacy simultaneously present himself as a partner to a Jewish community? The answer lies in mutual political expediency. Mandić needs the appearance of a Western-aligned conservative. Meanwhile, Oftner Bokan and parts of the Jewish community see him as a useful political ally for advancing their own interests and initiatives.
But an even more urgent question remains: Why has Mandić never addressed the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church during World War II – a church whose clergy and theological institutions were known for spreading antisemitic rhetoric and inciting hatred against Jews?
Why the Silence on Gaza?
It is precisely because of this precarious political balancing act that Andrija Mandić cannot – and will not – say anything about the war in Gaza. Any condemnation of Israeli military actions or the mass killing of civilians would unravel the carefully constructed public relations strategy he has cultivated.
Mandić’s silence on Gaza is not a display of political neutrality – it is a calculated act of opportunism. He does not stand on principle. He aligns himself with whatever narrative best serves his ambitions at any given moment. Just as he once chose to wear the mantle of Chetnik vojvoda, he now chooses to pose as a “friend of Israel” – all while remaining glaringly detached from the real suffering in Palestine.
Hypocrisy as Strategy
Mandić wields Jewish symbolism as a political shield. But his silence on Gaza exposes the hollowness of that symbolism. Genuine solidarity with the Jewish people is not expressed through photo ops at Hanukkah – it is shown through moral clarity, through the courage to condemn atrocities, including those being committed against Palestinian civilians.
A true humanitarian does not venerate the shadows of a Chetnik past.
As children die in Gaza and the international community confronts the specter of genocide, Andrija Mandić chooses silence. And that silence speaks volumes. It speaks of a politician hiding behind borrowed moral authority, behind historical distortions and a manipulative relationship with minority communities. It speaks of a man who has never truly reckoned with the dark legacy from which he emerged.
It’s time to say that plainly – and to see it even more clearly.
It’s time for the Bosniak Party to answer one simple question:
Why is it still allied with Andrija Mandić?
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