GOLDSCHMIDT DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CANCELLATION OF RABBIS' CONFERENCE IN SARAJEVO

SARAJEVO, JUNE 25 /SRNA/ – The President of the Conference of European Rabbis, Pinchas Goldschmidt, said that while he appreciated the letter of apology from the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers, Borjana Krišto, regarding the cancellation of the rabbis' conference in Sarajevo, the apology should come from the official responsible—Federal Minister of Labor and Social Policy Adnan Delić, who led the public opposition to the gathering of rabbis in BiH.

“We value the apology letter from the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers, sent to me both personally and officially, regarding the cancellation of our gathering of leading European rabbis in BiH. However, any meaningful apology must come from those responsible. Regret should be expressed by Federal Minister Adnan Delić. If he refuses to apologize, we call on the government to publicly dismiss him,” Goldschmidt stated in a press release. Anything less than that, Goldschmidt noted, shows tolerance for intolerance, despite written apologies. “The Conference of European Rabbis remains committed to defending religious freedom and ensuring that no European country is allowed to exclude Jews or any Jewish organization,” Goldschmidt emphasized. The Conference confirmed it had received Krišto’s letter expressing sincere regret over the recent cancellation and extending an invitation to Chief Rabbi Goldschmidt to visit. The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Conference of European Rabbis, which brings together chief rabbis from across Europe, was scheduled to take place in Sarajevo from June 16 to 18. However, the management of the "Swissotel" hotel, where the event was to be held, notified the organizers of its cancellation due to “security concerns.” This decision followed a campaign led by Federal Minister Adnan Delić, who, in an open letter, urged the public to oppose the event and described Israel as a “genocidal entity” committing “shameful crimes against humanity.” Following these events, Goldschmidt stated that, after such a disgraceful attack on European religious groups, BiH should be barred from EU accession. The Conference of European Rabbis was founded in 1956, with headquarters in Munich, and today gathers around 1,000 rabbis operating from Dublin to Vladivostok.