The American Bosnian War prosecutor who is fighting for Bosnian Jews

Bosnian Jews are dying from COVID-19. Phillip Weiner, international war crimes judge, has returned to fight for them and secure their legacy.

IT’S BEEN NEARLY a decade since Phillip Weiner last lived in Sarajevo, where he served as an international war crimes judge.

But Weiner has remained in touch with the Bosnian Jews he met there, and when he heard about their plight during the COVID-19 pandemic, he knew he had to do something.

Serving in the Hague court at the Yugoslavia war crimes tribunal, Weiner prosecuted those responsible for the atrocities committed during the Bosnian War from 1992 through 1995. He lived off and on in Sarajevo, now the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, for more than four years from 2006 to 2012, and attended Shabbat services at the Jewish Community Synagogue.

Weiner became acquainted with many prominent members of the city’s Jewish community, some of whom are now falling victim to COVID-19 amid a surge in cases there. His contacts say the pandemic has claimed the lives of as much as 5% of Bosnia’s tiny Jewish community.

“Many Jews are dying. It’s a horror show,” Weiner said. “David Kamhi, a prominent concert violinist and diplomat, died. Jakob Finci, the president of the Jewish Community of Bosnia-Herzegovina, is in serious condition.”

FULL STORY Meet the American Bosnian War prosecutor who is fighting for Bosnian Jews (Jerusalem Post)

Photo: Phillip Weiner (courtesy)