Bosnian official apologizes after hotel cancels Conference of European Rabbis meeting

After the Conference of European Rabbis’ biannual meeting was canceled by a Sarajevo hotel earlier this month, a representative of Bosnia’s government has apologized for the incident, the organization says.

Borjana Krišto, the chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia & Herzegovina, sent a letter to CER head Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt expressing “my sincere regret regarding the recent cancellation of events” and inviting him to visit, CER says in a statement.

About 50 Jewish leaders had been scheduled to meet at the Swissotel in Sarajevo June 16-18 before the hotel notified CER the week before that it was canceling the event due to “recent developments and significant public attention.”

That followed an open letter published by Bosnian Federal Minister of Labor and Social Policy Adnan Delic calling on “citizens and civil society organizations not to remain silent in the face of this attempt to morally humiliate our capital and our country.” He also referred to Israel as a “genocidal entity” committing “shameful crimes against humanity.”

The meeting was ultimately held in Munich instead.

CER says it welcomes Krišto’s apology, but that Delic should be the one apologizing.

“Any meaningful apology must come from those responsible,” the organization says. “If [Delic] refuses to apologize, we call on the government to publicly dismiss him. Anything less shows tolerance for intolerance at the heart of the government, despite letters they may send to us privately.”