Commemorative meeting on Holocaust Remembrance Day and the Day of Prevention of Crimes against Humanity

Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic and the Foundation for Holocaust Victims, in cooperation with the Office of the President of the Republic, held on Jan 28, 2025 a commemorative meeting on occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day and the Day of Prevention of Crimes against Humanity.

On Jan 27, 1945, the Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz was liberated. This year marks the 80th anniversary of this event. Due to the presence of the President at the commemoration and remembrance event on the anniversary in Auschwitz itself, the commemorative meeting was held at Prague Castle a day later. Survivors took the opportunity to meet the President in person before the program began. The commemoration event was attended by 400 guests. The meeting was moderated by Jakub Železný and was broadcast live by Czech Television.

The meeting was held under the auspices of the President of the Czech Republic, Mr. Petr Pavel, who opened the event with these words: “It is an honour to open our gathering today, which is aimed at commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end not only of the Second World War, but also of the Holocaust – the systematic genocide of the Jews… and continued: Humanity unfortunately has a rather poor reputation for learning from its history, and we are therefore commemorating events that should not be forgotten. “

For the President of the Senate of Parliament of the Czech Republic, Mr. Miloš Vystrčil Holocaust is also “an unmistakable warning beacon that shows which direction we must not take today but also, which direction we must take today if we are not to repeat our old mistakes. “

He also reminded us of the relevance of today’s Remembrance Day: “Preventing injustice and hatred must be our daily work that never ends. This is especially true today, at a time when the wave of hatred, envy and polarization of opinion is gaining momentum across Europe. Unfortunately, it seems that more and more people are succumbing and showing a willingness to become part of this wave. “

Minister of Culture Mr. Martin Baxa pleaded that we should not be content with knowing and understanding the Nazi machinery. We should also know the individual fates of people and families and, above all, understand the reasons that led to Holocaust: “What do we know about the individual people, families, villages from which we come, about the local communities of which Czech and Moravian Jews were a part? To what extent do we understand the long road that led to the genocide, the more than a thousand-year influence of anti-Judaism, the destructive pseudo-scientific racial ideology, the share of envy and greed, and the collaboration? “

Mrs. Hana Sternlicht (born 1930), a former prisoner of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, came from Israel for the event. She recalled her personal experiences of deportation to Terezín, then to Auschwitz, then to the Freiberg labor camp and finally the transport to Mauthausen, where she was liberated. She also survived thanks to coincidences and luck, for example, during the selection process on arrival at Auschwitz: “We were standing in a line of women and I saw Mengele in front of me pointing once to the left, once to the right. I thought there was some regularity to it, so I changed places with the woman next to me so that my mother and I would go on the same side. But it was not like that. Someone in line whispered to me, Tell them you are 16… How could anyone believe me? I was not raised to lie. But I lied. That lie saved my life. And a coincidence. Mengele was looking at the papers, not at me, listened to my answer and pointed to the left. But he did look at my mother… and pointed to the right. We could not even say goodbye. “

She ended her speech by reflecting on the meaning of painful and traumatic remembering: “It is not pleasant, but it is the only chance to never let the memory fade and to warn of the consequences of what happens when a similar evil gets a chance to grow. It starts subtly, but hatred grows quickly and needs to be stopped. I wish for all of us that evil everywhere in the world will be defeated, so that the next generations will have a chance to live in peace. “

Mrs. Jana Horváthová, director of the Museum of Romani Culture, reminded the audience that more than 22 thousand European Roma and Sinti perished in the Auschwitz camp complex. The stories of these people are not well known, so she presented those shared by her family. “From my family, up to a quarter of the prisoners were held in the Protectorate concentration camp in Hodonín near Kunštát. It is a comfort to me that the Museum of Romani Culture has fully opened the Memorial and its extensive exhibitions at this site since 2021. Thirty members of our family did not survive, most of whom were murdered in the Auschwitz extermination camp. “

She also pointed out “ that it is still a sad reality that children in our schools are not taught about Romani history even though they have long been a factual part of Czech and world history. However, I firmly believe that this will soon change. “

The last speaker at the event was the President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic Mr. Petr Papoušek. He reminded the audience that the history of Auschwitz is not only a story of human suffering, but also a story of human courage: “In every story of the survivors we find strength, bravery and an unwavering desire for life. These people who overcame the unimaginable show us that even in the darkest moments, light can be found. My grandfather, Miloš Dobrý, a prisoner with the tattooed number 170 265, was one of those who managed to face incredible horrors, preserve his dignity and participate in the reconstruction of society after the war. His story, like so many others, is an encouragement and hope for us all. “

Like the previous speakers, he mentioned the connections that Holocaust commemoration has with the present time: “I want to express here my gratitude to the survivors who, despite their suffering, managed to continue their lives and to pass on their testimony to the next generation. Your strength and determination are an inspiration to us all. In this context, we also think today of all the hostages held by Hamas terrorists and pray for their early release. “

He ended his speech on a very personal note: “Yesterday, the President and I were at a memorial meeting at Auschwitz, and I wrote a memo to my grandparents who are no longer with us: “Hello grandma and grandpa, it’s been 80 years since they liberated this place. You were here for almost a year and it is unimaginable to me how you survived… But thanks to you we are here and will continue to be here, despite all our enemies in past and future. Thank you for everything! Am Israel Chai! “

At the end, the Chief Rabbi of the Czech Republic, Karol Efraim Sidon prayed for the souls of the deceased El male rachamim.

During the meeting, concert pieces by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Ernest Bloch were performed by Judita Škodová, Kateřina Ochmanová and David Šimečka from the Quasi Trio. The orchestra of the Lauder School Shirat Hayam and the children’s choir Kol Haneshama under the direction of Helena Ester Divecka performed the song Am Israel Chai with solo parts by Omer Tal and Greta Joran.

The commemorative meeting is being held thanks to the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the Jewish Community in Prague.

The Address by Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic 28. 1. 2025

The Address of Miloš Vystrčil, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic 28. 1. 2025

The Address of Martin Baxa, Minister of Culture of the Government of the Czech Republic 28. 1. 2025 T

he Address by Hana Sternlicht, survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp 28. 1. 2025

The Address by Jana Horváthová, Director of the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno 28. 1. 2025

The Address by Petr Papoušek, President of the Federation of Jewish communities in the Czech Republic 28. 1. 2025

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