The Hazan of the Sarajevo Synagogue, Igor Kozemjakin, shared with the public an unpleasant scene from yesterday when a group of students came to visit this religious building, but some of them stayed in front because their parents forbade them to enter.
Namely, the students of the fifth grade of the Tenth Elementary School Ilidza visited religious and cultural facilities in Sarajevo, specifically Stari Grad, which includes mosques, churches, and synagogues as well as museums and theaters. However, not all students wanted or were allowed to visit all the planned locations.
Despite the school’s will to introduce the students to the multiculturalism of Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), a part of them remained in front of the synagogue, considering that they did not have their parent’s permission to visit this religious building.
“Today, students from the Tenth Elementary School Ilidza visited our synagogue. A certain number of children did not enter the synagogue because they did not have their parents’ permission. That is sad,” commented Kozemjakin yesterday.
The director of that school, Refik Dacic, confirmed that an excursion was held yesterday for the students of that school, with the aim of introducing them to cultural, historical and religious objects in the city.
He also confirmed that they visited the synagogue and that some of the students did not enter it, and that in that case, they could not react, given that the mentioned children did not receive their parent’s permission to visit the synagogue.
“We have 600 students and they visit all cultural, historical, and religious buildings and we never have any problems there. We cannot influence whether an individual will forbid their child from going to church, mosque, theater, cinema, but the school’s policy is to glorify the multiculturalism of our city and country, that’s why we sent them,” said Dacic.
Moreover, he pointed out that for every visit they must get written consent from the parents, but that this was missing in several cases. However, he believes that the emphasis should not be on that, but on what was done well.
“We raise children in the spirit of multiculturalism, but we cannot influence individuals. I would be the last person to support such a thing, but we cannot influence parents,” the school director concluded, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
