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Czechs TodayJaroslav Klenovský, the man in charge of South Moravian Jewish heritage
South Moravia is a region in the Czech Republic known for many things – a
sunny climate, interesting folklore and reasonably good wine. Being the
most visited region of the country outside Prague, many people come for
historic sights, chateaus and mediaeval castles. But few visitors realize
the region along the borders with Austria and Slovakia boats a number of
Jewish monuments from times long gone. Most of them now belong to the
Jewish Community in Brno which has one man to take care of them –
architect Jaroslav Klenovský.
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Current AffairsTerezín wartime memorial hit by theft
More than 300 bronze plates with the names of wartime victims were stolen
last week from the National Cemetery in Terezín, north of Prague, which
served as a ghetto for Czech and European Jews and housed a Gestapo-run
prison during the Second World War. Commemorative plaques have been stolen
in the past but never on such a large scale. Now it seems unlikely that
they could be restored by May 18, a day commemorating the victims of Nazi
persecution at Terezín. Ruth Fraňková reports.
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MailboxMailbox
This week in Mailbox: we disclose the identity of our January mystery man
and announce the names of the four lucky winners. There will also be a
brand new quiz question. Listeners quoted: Louise Kelleher, Francois
Jooste, J.R. Tinsley, David Eldridge, Constantin Liviu Viorel, Juan Carlos
Gil, Colin Law, Charles Konecny.
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PanoramaA tour of Prague’s most important cemeteries
At this time of year, Prague’s cemeteries are carpeted with red and
yellow leaves, and in this chilly weather, you are quite unlikely to bump
into that many other visitors. Prague’s thirty-or-so city maintained
cemeteries offer a step back from the hustle and bustle and traffic jams of
the metropolis - and provide the visitor with a glimpse into the Czech
capital’s history as well.
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SpotlightBenesov
Every year tourists from all over the Czech Republic and abroad get off a
train in Benesov, however few with the aim to visit the Bohemian town.
Almost all of them head for Konopiste Castle, one of the country's most
attractive sites, which is just about a 2 km walk from the railway
station. But in today's Spotlight, we take a look at the history of
Benesov itself. The town has over 16,200 inhabitants today and lies just
37 km southeast of Prague between the Sazava river and Blanik - the hill
where, according to legend, St. Wenceslas and his warriors are said to be
sleeping ready to come to the aid of the Czech nation whenever called
upon.
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Current AffairsRare medieval Jewish cemetery beneath Plzen shopping centre?
Almost six hundred years ago, the Jewish community in what is now west
Bohemia bought some land on the outskirts of Plzen, west Bohemia, to build
a cemetery. A few decades later the land was confiscated and the community
expelled. Since then, very little has been known about the location of the
burial site. But now, a team of archaeologists say the cemetery is right
beneath land that is to house a new billion-crown commercial centre. Dita
Asiedu reports:
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Current AffairsPaintings of a Prague Ghetto
One of the most famous attractions of Prague's Old Town is the former
Jewish Ghetto, a witness to the long and rich Jewish history of the Czech
capital, and also to centuries of discrimination. The gradual emancipation
of Prague's Jewish population began with the Enlightenment in the 18th
century. As some Prague Jews grew wealthier and more self-confident, as
well as more secular, the first portraits began to appear. Some depicted
the spiritual leaders of Prague's Jewish society but others showed well
off members of the community and their families. Now, to mark 100 years
since the foundation of the Prague Jewish Museum, a new exhibition has
been opened to display some of the finest examples of Jewish art from the
18th to the early 20th century.
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PanoramaThe highest 'Mitzvot'
There are some three hundred and forty known Jewish cemeteries in the Czech
lands. The thriving communities that once tended to their care were
virtually
wiped out during the Second World War. The ravages of time - but also
vandalism - have left many Jewish burial sites here a tangled mess of
cracked headstones and thick undergrowth. More
SpotlightSpotlight
In Spotlight this week, Ian Willoughby visits the enchanting Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague's Josefov district, which was a Jewish ghetto from the mid-13th century. The famous cemetery is one of the oldest in Europe, and is the resting place of among others Rabbi Leow, who legend has it created a Golem out of mud from the nearby Vltava river. See parts of the cemetery closed to tourists in a fascinating edition of Spotlight.
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