The cancellation of the European Rabbinical Conference, originally scheduled to be held in Sarajevo from June 16 to 18, is a significant self-inflicted setback for Bosnia and Herzegovina on its European path, said Jakob Finci, President of the Jewish Community of BiH, in an interview for Provjereno.info.
Finci emphasized that the decision contradicts fundamental freedoms — namely, freedom of assembly, religion, and speech — and stated that the ban has already been reported to the European Union.
“This was completely unnecessary, all for the sake of two or three votes that the FBiH Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Adnan Delić, is hoping to secure — unless he’s simply following orders from someone above,” Finci commented.
According to Finci, one of the initiators behind the idea of hosting the conference in Sarajevo was Christian Schmidt, with whom he is set to meet on Monday. He noted that former Sarajevo mayor Benjamina Karić also pledged support, but in the end, the event was taken over by Munich and the Bavarian authorities.
“The Conference’s headquarters are in Munich, and Schmidt probably suggested they come to Sarajevo, with the OHR offering financial assistance. But in the end, Schmidt said there were no funds. Locally, leadership had changed, and Karić promised a lot — but it turned out to be empty promises,” said Finci.
He underlined that the issue has now taken on international significance, with concerned responses coming in from around the world. What’s even more alarming, he said, is the wave of antisemitism that has surfaced, particularly on social media.
“Some of the comments say: They should be buried in the Jewish cemetery in Sarajevo, Sarajevogas should provide enough gas to suffocate them, and so on. I was devastated by the cancellation, especially without any explanation. You cannot ban someone from speaking just because you fear you won’t like what they have to say,” he concluded.
Aleksandra Stevandić, president of the Jewish Municipality of Banja Luka, described the cancellation as a grave violation of human and European values, warning that Bosnia and Herzegovina is now losing credibility on local, regional, and international levels.
She emphasized that Jewish communities in Republika Srpska enjoy full support from the government and have never experienced any form of discrimination or religious intolerance from institutions or citizens.
“According to the BiH Criminal Code, publicly inciting religious, racial, or ethnic hatred or discord has legal consequences. In this case, those responsible are representatives of public institutions. Jews have lived in BiH for over 500 years, in friendship with all religious communities, and have always actively participated in cultural and social life. This incident not only undermines our fundamental human rights but also makes us feel like second-class citizens in the country we’ve lived in for centuries,” Stevandić told Provjereno.info.
Source: Provjereno
