The Conference of European Rabbis said Thursday it had been forced to call off a meeting in Sarajevo next week after criticism from a Bosnian minister and the cancellation of their booking by the host hotel.
The CER meeting was to discuss key issues facing Jews in Europe as well as freedom of religion, the organisation said in a statement.
"Shockingly, the hotel has suddenly cancelled on us," the statement quoted CER president Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt as saying.
The cancellation followed an open letter by Adnan Delic, labour and social policy minister in Bosnia's Muslim-Croat half, calling for the cancellation of the event, Goldschmidt added.
"We have been made unwelcome and this last-minute, ministerial boycott of Jewish European citizens, dedicated purely to promoting Jewish life in Europe and furthering dialogue and democracy across the continent, is disgraceful."
European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert said "it is regretable that the relevant authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have withdrawn the invitation for the Conference of European Rabbis in Sarajevo."
"The EU remains committed to Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU accession perspective and will continue to closely monitor the situation regarding the respect for fundamental rights and freedoms", he added.
CER says it represents more than 1,000 orthodox Jewish communities across Europe.
Its events "foster dialogue, boost interfaith activity, and promote public engagement", Goldschmidt said.
The Bosnian minister deemed "unacceptable and morally offensive that Sarajevo, a city that survived the longest siege in modern European history", from April 1992 to February 1996, should host a conference "that sends support" to Israel as it fights Hamas in Gaza.
He accused Israel of "committing genocide against the innocent civilian population in Gaza".
Delic said the organisers should call off the CER meeting "in the name of the dignity of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the victims of all sieges, persecutions and war crimes".
According to CER, the hotel cancelled their reservations shortly after.
Contacted by AFP, the hotel did not immediately comment.
The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 55,207 people. The United Nations deems the figures reliable.
