Despite, or perhaps because of, its history as the scene of armed conflict between Protestants and Catholics, the Czech Republic is a remarkably atheistic country. This is all the more striking given the much deeper religiosity found in neighboring Poland and Slovakia. This topic has been discussed in detail previously, but little mention was made then of the Czech Jewish community. This was not an oversight but a deliberate postponement, for the case of the Czech Jews is sufficiently outstanding to merit its own account.
According to the 1930 census, there were about 118,000 Jews living in Bohemia and Moravia, the provinces that make up the vast majority of today's Czech Republic. Though the Czech Jewish contingent was far smaller than the communities in neighboring countries like Germany and Poland, it was extremely well-integrated into Czech society. This can be attributed, at least in part, to the aforementioned lack of religious fervor in the Czech lands. It should also be noted that the majority of Jews living in Czech territory were German-speakers. As German was the primary language of administration and education during the centuries when the Austrian Hapsburg Empire ruled over the area, Czech Jews enjoyed an advantage in terms of integration with the elite and professional classes. Sigmund Freud is perhaps the most famous example of this: born in Freiberg, a village in Moravia, Freud was able to move to the imperial capital of Vienna to receive schooling and begin his practice. Franz Kafka, who wrote his works in German, was another famous member of this group. There are many more such individuals of varying degrees of fame, such as Wilhelm Steinitz, the Prague-born first official world chess champion. Like their Gentile countrymen, Jews living in the Czech lands tended to be very secular. However, the strong, definitional ties between Jewish religion, culture, and identity ensured that even those who were unbelievers retained some connection to the faith.
Their widespread command of the German language could not save Czech Jews from widespread massacre at the hands of the Nazi Germans. It is estimated that between 70,000 to 80,000 Czech Jews were killed during World War II; thousands more fled, many of them never to return. The communist coup in 1948 set off another wave of emigration. One such émigré is Madeline Albright, former US Secretary of State and current Georgetown professor: born Marie Jana Korbelová in Prague in 1937, she and her parents fled from the Nazis, returned after the war, and left once more after the communists took power. Despite the massive losses it suffered due to war, emigration, and the Holocaust, the Czech Jewish community continued to include many prominent citizens. However, the dogmatically atheist, anti-capitalist, and often anti-intellectual communist regime of Czechoslovakia greatly complicated their position in society.
The anti-religious stance of the communist government, combined with the typically subtle but potent anti-Semitism that also emanated from it, further reduced the numbers of religious Jews in the Czech lands. Quoting Leo Pavlat, director of the Prague Jewish Museum: "During the communist regime it was very difficult to live a Jewish life because the Jewish community was absolutely controlled by the secret police and at the same time there were no books in Hebrew, there was no Jewish education. Any publication in Hebrew was immediately confiscated on the border, people were interrogated under different pretext, so of course, to publicly manifest any 'Jewishness' was very dangerous and it caused the people who dared to do it serious problems."
The size of the Czech Jewish community today is hard to pinpoint. According to Rabbi Ron Hoffberg, an American who currently teaches and works in Prague, there are maybe 1,500 Jews in Prague who are involved religiously and/or politically in the community on a regular basis. If those who are periodic attendees at services and cultural events are included, the number rises to about 3,000—approximately half of the total for the Czech Republic. There are also several small communities, as in Brno, Plze, Olomouc, and Karlovy Vary, but none of these have over 350 members. These figures reflect religious and strong cultural identification; according to Rabbi Hofburg, there are many others who have a Jewish mother, the definition of a Jew under Jewish religious law, and thousands more who have at least one Jewish grandparent—the definition used by the Nazis and currently the criteria used by the State of Israel in determining eligibility for citizenship.
What makes the Czech Jewish community so notable is the considerable political and social prominence that the group possesses. Numerically, Jews are a miniscule religious minority in the country, but the historical and contemporary importance of many of its members provides them with an especially visible role. Even taking into account communist anti-Semitism, the relationship between Czechoslovakia and Israel was quite positive early on. Per Rabbi Hoffberg, even after the Soviet Union turned its support toward the Arab states in the region, the Czechoslovak relationship with Israel was not as hostile as in other states. Since the end of communism, Israel has been accepted as a valued partner and ally, and the Czechs often defend the Israelis in questions of diplomacy. Domestically, politicians address the Jewish community quite often, responding to their concerns and soliciting their support. Jewish or Holocaust-themed television programs appear weekly on eská televize (Czech Television)—a phenomenon not seen in other parts of Europe. The relationship is further strengthened by the heavy Jewish tourism to Prague, home to a historic Jewish quarter and cemetery, and the nearby former concentration ghetto of Terezín.
Czech Jews are thus unique in the Czech Republic: a small minority that is distinguished by its religiosity in a positive way. Moreover, it is an influential minority, counting a large number of influential people among its past and present members, both in the Czech lands and abroad. This has included a significant number of politicians. Rudolf Slánský, the general secretary of the Communist Party after World War II, was one such member; he was later made to stand in a Stalinist show trial and was convicted and executed. Contemporary Jewish politicians have found more success and have been able to put issues of community interest on the national agenda. Such was the case of the Rychetsky Commission, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Rychetsky, whose goal was to investigate the question of restitution to Jewish families that had seen their property confiscated during the war years and under the communist regime. Another prominent recent example can be found in the discovery of an old Jewish cemetery in a location that was slated for construction; the Czech government, the Prague Jewish community, and the Eská Pojišovna insurance company reached an agreement that preserved the site. Also, an old inscription in Hebrew mounted on a statue of Jesus on the cross in Prague, which was placed there in 1696 to humiliate Jews, was made into a monument to anti-Semitism following requests made to Prague mayor Jan Kasl.
Though right-wing extremism is not as prevalent in the Czech Republic as it has been in other European states, there have nonetheless been instances of anti-Semitist political expression. The Assembly for the Republic-Czech Republican Party, whose propaganda targeted Jews as well as Roma, foreigners, and the West, enjoyed some significant support during the 1990s. Though that has since faded, the skinhead movement in the Czech Republic continues to maintain a visible presence. The most famous incident of political anti-Semitism involves Vladimir Skoupy, the leader of the extremist National Alliance. A Holocaust denier and vicious rhetorician, Skoupy ran afoul of the law in 2000, when he was arrested, tried, and convicted of "support and propagation of a movement that aimed at suppressing citizens' rights and freedoms and defaming a nation, race or conviction." He was sentenced to a year in prison, and his organization was subsequently refused registration as a legitimate political party. In contrast to the United States, the most radical and violent groups, such as the skinhead Blood & Honour organization, are officially illegal in the Czech Republic. For this reason, many anti-Semites attach themselves to still-legal right-wing nationalist groups. For the most part, however, Jews are not near the top of the hate list of these radical organizations. The political influence of the Jewish community, when contrasted with the largely voiceless targeted Roma minority, helps explain this fact.
In sum, the Jewish community represents the only truly unified and influential group at the intersection of religion and politics in the Czech Republic. Historically sympathetic (unlike the Catholic Church, in the eyes of many) and relatively united (unlike the scattered Protestants), Czech Jews today are visible and important members of the political and civil culture. The reasons for this belong to the past, but it is the future, with issues such as Iran, Turkish EU accession, and Islamic immigration looming, that will reveal just how loud of a political voice the Czech Jewish community possesses.
Their widespread command of the German language could not save Czech Jews from widespread massacre at the hands of the Nazi Germans. It is estimated that between 70,000 to 80,000 Czech Jews were killed during World War II; thousands more fled, many of them never to return. The communist coup in 1948 set off another wave of emigration. One such émigré is Madeline Albright, former US Secretary of State and current Georgetown professor: born Marie Jana Korbelová in Prague in 1937, she and her parents fled from the Nazis, returned after the war, and left once more after the communists took power. Despite the massive losses it suffered due to war, emigration, and the Holocaust, the Czech Jewish community continued to include many prominent citizens. However, the dogmatically atheist, anti-capitalist, and often anti-intellectual communist regime of Czechoslovakia greatly complicated their position in society.
The anti-religious stance of the communist government, combined with the typically subtle but potent anti-Semitism that also emanated from it, further reduced the numbers of religious Jews in the Czech lands. Quoting Leo Pavlat, director of the Prague Jewish Museum: "During the communist regime it was very difficult to live a Jewish life because the Jewish community was absolutely controlled by the secret police and at the same time there were no books in Hebrew, there was no Jewish education. Any publication in Hebrew was immediately confiscated on the border, people were interrogated under different pretext, so of course, to publicly manifest any 'Jewishness' was very dangerous and it caused the people who dared to do it serious problems."
The size of the Czech Jewish community today is hard to pinpoint. According to Rabbi Ron Hoffberg, an American who currently teaches and works in Prague, there are maybe 1,500 Jews in Prague who are involved religiously and/or politically in the community on a regular basis. If those who are periodic attendees at services and cultural events are included, the number rises to about 3,000—approximately half of the total for the Czech Republic. There are also several small communities, as in Brno, Plze, Olomouc, and Karlovy Vary, but none of these have over 350 members. These figures reflect religious and strong cultural identification; according to Rabbi Hofburg, there are many others who have a Jewish mother, the definition of a Jew under Jewish religious law, and thousands more who have at least one Jewish grandparent—the definition used by the Nazis and currently the criteria used by the State of Israel in determining eligibility for citizenship.
What makes the Czech Jewish community so notable is the considerable political and social prominence that the group possesses. Numerically, Jews are a miniscule religious minority in the country, but the historical and contemporary importance of many of its members provides them with an especially visible role. Even taking into account communist anti-Semitism, the relationship between Czechoslovakia and Israel was quite positive early on. Per Rabbi Hoffberg, even after the Soviet Union turned its support toward the Arab states in the region, the Czechoslovak relationship with Israel was not as hostile as in other states. Since the end of communism, Israel has been accepted as a valued partner and ally, and the Czechs often defend the Israelis in questions of diplomacy. Domestically, politicians address the Jewish community quite often, responding to their concerns and soliciting their support. Jewish or Holocaust-themed television programs appear weekly on eská televize (Czech Television)—a phenomenon not seen in other parts of Europe. The relationship is further strengthened by the heavy Jewish tourism to Prague, home to a historic Jewish quarter and cemetery, and the nearby former concentration ghetto of Terezín.
Czech Jews are thus unique in the Czech Republic: a small minority that is distinguished by its religiosity in a positive way. Moreover, it is an influential minority, counting a large number of influential people among its past and present members, both in the Czech lands and abroad. This has included a significant number of politicians. Rudolf Slánský, the general secretary of the Communist Party after World War II, was one such member; he was later made to stand in a Stalinist show trial and was convicted and executed. Contemporary Jewish politicians have found more success and have been able to put issues of community interest on the national agenda. Such was the case of the Rychetsky Commission, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Rychetsky, whose goal was to investigate the question of restitution to Jewish families that had seen their property confiscated during the war years and under the communist regime. Another prominent recent example can be found in the discovery of an old Jewish cemetery in a location that was slated for construction; the Czech government, the Prague Jewish community, and the Eská Pojišovna insurance company reached an agreement that preserved the site. Also, an old inscription in Hebrew mounted on a statue of Jesus on the cross in Prague, which was placed there in 1696 to humiliate Jews, was made into a monument to anti-Semitism following requests made to Prague mayor Jan Kasl.
Though right-wing extremism is not as prevalent in the Czech Republic as it has been in other European states, there have nonetheless been instances of anti-Semitist political expression. The Assembly for the Republic-Czech Republican Party, whose propaganda targeted Jews as well as Roma, foreigners, and the West, enjoyed some significant support during the 1990s. Though that has since faded, the skinhead movement in the Czech Republic continues to maintain a visible presence. The most famous incident of political anti-Semitism involves Vladimir Skoupy, the leader of the extremist National Alliance. A Holocaust denier and vicious rhetorician, Skoupy ran afoul of the law in 2000, when he was arrested, tried, and convicted of "support and propagation of a movement that aimed at suppressing citizens' rights and freedoms and defaming a nation, race or conviction." He was sentenced to a year in prison, and his organization was subsequently refused registration as a legitimate political party. In contrast to the United States, the most radical and violent groups, such as the skinhead Blood & Honour organization, are officially illegal in the Czech Republic. For this reason, many anti-Semites attach themselves to still-legal right-wing nationalist groups. For the most part, however, Jews are not near the top of the hate list of these radical organizations. The political influence of the Jewish community, when contrasted with the largely voiceless targeted Roma minority, helps explain this fact.
In sum, the Jewish community represents the only truly unified and influential group at the intersection of religion and politics in the Czech Republic. Historically sympathetic (unlike the Catholic Church, in the eyes of many) and relatively united (unlike the scattered Protestants), Czech Jews today are visible and important members of the political and civil culture. The reasons for this belong to the past, but it is the future, with issues such as Iran, Turkish EU accession, and Islamic immigration looming, that will reveal just how loud of a political voice the Czech Jewish community possesses.
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