By Philip Phi
Posted Sep 18, 2026 at 6:21 PM
In a significant development, the World Jewish Congress (WJC) made history by becoming the first major international Jewish organization to visit Slovenia following the inauguration of Israel’s embassy in Ljubljana. This visit, which took place on September 17, 2026, underscores the strengthening of ties between Slovenia, Israel, and the global Jewish community.
The delegation, led by Sara Friedman, CEO of the World Jewish Congress for Israel and North America, and Hadassa Getsztain, Chair of WJC Israel, included Maya Samokovlija, WJC Executive Director of Community Relations, and Ernest Herzog, WJC Executive Director of Operations and Head of Combating Antisemitism, Intelligence and Security. Their visit marked a pivotal moment, coming immediately after the opening of Israel’s first resident embassy in Ljubljana and the appointment of Ruth Cohen-Dar as Israel’s first resident ambassador to Slovenia.
The delegation’s engagement with Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša and senior government officials highlights the importance the global Jewish community places on rebuilding meaningful ties with Slovenia. This visit represents a significant shift from previous interactions, notably from an earlier mission in April 2024 when senior members of the previous government declined to meet with the WJC.
The World Jewish Congress, representing Jewish communities in over 100 countries, emphasizes that relations with Israel and the security and dignity of local Jewish communities are deeply interconnected. The WJC’s commitment to engaging with governments that are prepared to strengthen relations with Israel, confront antisemitism, and build meaningful partnerships with Jewish communities is evident in this visit. This engagement aligns with the biblical principle of seeking peace and justice, as reflected in Micah 6:8, which calls for acting justly and loving mercy.
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Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
