The President of the Jewish Community of Novi Sad, Ladislav Trajer, stated that much of the Jewish community in the United States perceived the promotion of the Sarajevo Haggadah by Bosniak politicians in Washington as inappropriate and as an act that mocks Jewish history and appropriates Jewish suffering.
Trajer said that such actions were seen as “shameful,” adding that attempts to use the Haggadah for political messaging had the opposite effect.
He also claimed that Milorad Dodik has gained support among certain Jewish circles in the US, and that authorities in Sarajevo are concerned about losing backing from Washington.
“They are now trying to use the Sarajevo Haggadah to build an external narrative, but in doing so they are only mocking Jewish suffering,” Trajer said.
He recalled that Dodik had previously suggested that the Haggadah should be transferred to Israel, where, according to him, it belongs.
Trajer argued that Republika Srpska leadership is advocating for positions that he described as being in the shared interest of Serbs and Jews, including greater political autonomy from Sarajevo.
He also criticized what he described as inconsistencies in the behavior of Bosniak officials, stating that if they were genuine allies of the Jewish people, they would address instances of antisemitism more decisively.
Trajer further pointed to a previous statement by the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which announced that proceeds related to the Sarajevo Haggadah would be directed toward aid for Palestine, calling this contradictory to current actions in Washington.
“The relic that celebrates a Jewish holiday—freedom—was used to provide moral and financial support to those who held Jews captive,” he said.
He concluded that there is a growing narrative of hostility toward both Serbs and Jews in Bosnia and Herzegovina, expressed through institutions, media, and social networks.
The Sarajevo Haggadah is a medieval illuminated manuscript originating from 14th-century Spain, believed to have been created around 1350 in Barcelona, and has been held by the National Museum in Sarajevo since 1894.
Source: RTRS
