WJC at UNHRC | Slovenian Jewish Community Leader Calls for Protection from International Threats

Director of the Jewish Cultural Center in Ljubljana, Mr. Robert Waltl spoke on behalf of the World Jewish Congress, asking the government of Slovenia to protect its minority Jewish population from the rise of antisemitism in the media and in person.

Read the full statement below:

Mr. President,

My name is Robert Waltl, director of the Jewish Cultural Center in Ljubljana, speaking on behalf of Slovenia’s Jewish minority of less than 200 individuals. Since 7 October 2023, our community has endured a dramatic escalation of antisemitic sentiment—emanating not only from fringe extremist actors, but alarmingly also from segments of state media, on university campuses, in public discourse, and even voiced by individuals within government.

In state-sponsored media, prominent journalist Boris Vasev of RTV Slovenija has publicly justified Hamas as a “national-liberation movement,” compared Israel to an apartheid regime, and repeated conspiracy myths about “Jewish supremacy.”

Even more distressing is the rhetoric from political figures, some of whom have used state platforms to link the Jewish community to Israeli state policy, thereby fanning public hostility.

As a result of this pattern of hostility, our small Jewish community today feels dehumanized, bullied, and excluded from the broader fabric of Slovenian society. We are no longer seen as fellow citizens, neighbors, or contributors to public life—but rather as symbols of a conflict thousands of kilometers away.

Mr. President, this environment not only violates Slovenia’s obligations under international human rights law—it tears at the very principles of equality, freedom of belief, and minority protection. Our cultural, educational, and remembrance work now continues under threat and in fear.

Mr. President, the Jewish community in Slovenia asks for solidarity. We ask for recognition, for justice, and most of all—for dignity.

Thank you.