At the end of March, an exhibition dedicated to the renowned Sarajevo Haggadah will be presented in Washington, United States.
The exhibition is organized by the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the United States in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As confirmed to Klix.ba by multiple sources, the exhibition will be attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, as well as representatives of the Jewish community in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Regarding the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Office of Željko Komšić confirmed that, given the nature of the event, the Chair of the Presidency, Denis Bećirović, will also travel to Washington.
The exhibition is expected to bring together numerous guests and organizations from both the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The event carries additional significance in light of controversial statements made by the President of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), Milorad Dodik, who previously called in Israel for the Sarajevo Haggadah to be returned there. Among other claims, Dodik stated that the manuscript had become a subject of “political misuse” and that it does not belong in Sarajevo. His remarks and attempts to portray Sarajevo as an environment marked by antisemitism have drawn considerable attention.
The exhibition therefore represents an important opportunity to promote the rich Jewish heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighting its historical, cultural, and civilizational significance to the international public.
The Haggadah has found a centuries-long refuge in Sarajevo. Its citizens safeguarded it during the most difficult periods of the city’s history, and over time it has become a symbol of the city and an integral part of its identity.
It is important to emphasize that the Sarajevo Haggadah, which is housed at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will not be removed from Sarajevo. The exhibition will instead focus on presenting the manuscript’s historical and artistic value.
The Sarajevo Haggadah is one of the most valuable and best-known Jewish manuscript books in the world. It was created in 14th-century medieval Spain, most likely in the area of Barcelona, and is especially renowned for its rich illumination.
Following the expulsion of Jews from Spain at the end of the 15th century, the Haggadah arrived in the Balkans with its owners and later in Sarajevo, where it has been preserved for more than a century. Today, it is kept at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
