We write to you today with deep gratitude — and with an urgent plea.

Your unwavering support has, through the years, kept the Jewish Center in Ljubljana alive despite many challenges. You have been our partners, our advocates, our family. Today, we must once again ask for your help, because without additional support, the doors of the only functioning synagogue and the only Jewish cultural center in Slovenia may have to close.

 

The situation we face

 

Like many small Jewish communities worldwide, we are living through a period of heightened tension and uncertainty. Thanks to the dedication of our team and the generosity of friends like you, we have continued our activities, as the only Jewish community and the only synagogue in Slovenia.

However, we have now reached the limits of our financial capacity. Over the past few years, we have utilized all available resources: savings, emergency funds, and donations received both before and after October 7th. To be able to continue our work, we need to raise €56,000 by the beginning of 2026. Without these funds, we will be unable to cover the basic costs of heating and the center's regular operation.

 

Why is this moment so critical

 

In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult for small cultural and minority institutions to secure stable funding. Despite our continuous efforts and applications to various sources of support, we currently have no guaranteed funding for the period ahead.

At the same time, the political climate became more polarized, and being visibly Jewish in Europe feels more exposed than before. We face antisemitism, protests, campaigns, and pressure, all with great misunderstandings about our work. Even so, we remain committed to openness, dialogue, and cooperation with all our neighbors and partners in Slovenia and abroad.

Today, our center and synagogue represent the only organized Jewish life in the country.

 

What closure would mean

 

If we are forced to suspend our activities, it is unlikely that they will easily be restarted in the future. A living Jewish presence in Slovenia would be reduced to memories, archives, and a few commemorative plaques.

For us, this center and synagogue are much more than the building we rent. They are a meeting place for survivors and their families, for students and travelers, for local residents and international guests — a space where Jewish culture, religion, and memory remain part of Slovenia’s living fabric.

 

The completion we are fighting for

 

After years of work, the renovation of our center and synagogue is almost complete. The synagogue and the small museum space are ready to serve the community and the wider public for many years to come. Mini Teater continues to offer us hospitality. We are standing at the threshold of a new beginning — if we can now settle the remaining renovation debts and ensure that the building is heated and functioning through the winter and beyond.

 

This is not only about us

 

We know that the world’s attention is understandably focused on larger communities and urgent crises. Yet small communities matter, too. When the last synagogue in a country falls silent, an entire layer of that country’s cultural and spiritual history becomes harder to hear.

The Jewish story in Slovenia — a story of presence, dialogue, resilience, and contribution to the broader society — deserves to continue.

 

Our promise to you

 

With your support, our doors will remain what they have always been: a true home for every Jewish person who visits Ljubljana, and a welcoming place for all who wish to learn, remember, and celebrate with us. A place of prayer, study, culture, and encounter.

We are small, but we are committed to staying here.

Please stand with us in this critical hour. Your donation — of any amount — will directly decide whether Jewish life in Slovenia continues as a living reality or becomes only a chapter in history.

With deepest respect and hope,

Robert Baruch Waltl

 

P.S. Every contribution matters. Whether you can give $50 or $5,000, you ensure that when Jewish travelers, students, and families arrive in Ljubljana, they will still find a community ready to welcome them. Please help us complete the renovation and secure heating and basic running costs for our center.

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