President of the Conference of European Rabbis, Pinchas Goldschmidt, stated that the cancellation of the conference in Sarajevo fundamentally contradicts the core values of the European Union, which Bosnia and Herzegovina aspires to join.
Goldschmidt said it is shocking that Sarajevo, a city often invoking peace, is being dismantled through propaganda of hatred.
“When European rabbis, who do not hold diplomatic roles, advocate for Jewish communal life and solidarity, and become targets of a government boycott, it is no longer legitimate criticism of Israel. It becomes propaganda of hate,” Goldschmidt said.
He emphasized that Europe must not retreat when antisemitism appears in new forms, and that anyone who seeks to become an EU member, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, must demonstrate that they have adopted the Union’s fundamental values.
He noted that the Conference of European Rabbis promotes interfaith dialogue more than almost any other Jewish institution.
“We originally planned to hold our board meeting in Sarajevo this week. At the last moment, the door was literally slammed in our faces. The hotel cancelled our reservation. In a public appeal, the Federation’s Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Adnan Delić, had previously called not only for the cancellation of our conference but also for the expulsion of European rabbis. Delić made the outrageous accusation that our presence would ‘morally humiliate’ the city and accused Israel of being a ‘genocidal entity.’ This was language familiar from Hamas speeches or the Iranian regime,” Goldschmidt wrote in a statement.
He stressed that the hotel’s cancellation was clearly the result of political pressure and that the silence of other government agencies shows that Bosnia and Herzegovina has done a disservice not only to the Jewish community but also to itself.
Goldschmidt concluded that the rabbis will continue to extend a hand of friendship and that the conference will now be held in Munich—with Sarajevo still invited.
Source: RTRS
