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SpecialJerri Zbiral: finding a new path to Lidice
Anniversaries give us the chance to think again about the meaning of events
and their relevance today. Next month it will be exactly 70 years since the
destruction by the Nazis of the Czech village of Lidice in June 1942. The
facts and figures are well known, and even in the shadow of huge numbers
later killed in the Holocaust, still remain shocking: 340 people were
murdered, including 88 children and all but two of the men of the village.
They were killed systematically and in cold blood in a calculated attempt
by the SS to prevent Czech insurgency. The extent to which Lidice later
became a tool of communist propaganda, using rhetoric that equated Nazi
Germany with the “West”, is also well known, and for many Czechs, the
memory of Lidice still remains tainted by this legacy. So what can Lidice
mean to us today, now that all but a handful of the survivors are no longer
with us and with memories of both Nazism and Communism fading? David
Vaughan brings us a special programme. More
Current AffairsSurvivors remember first transport to Terezín in winter of 1941
It's exactly seventy years since the first transport of Czechoslovak Jews
left Prague, bound for the garrison town of Terezín, transformed by the
Nazis into a ghetto and concentration camp. Some 140,000 Jewish men, women
and children were sent to Terezín, known as Theresienstadt in German; most
of them were later killed at Auschwitz. A number of events were held this
week bringing together Terezín survivors, one of them on Thursday evening
at the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. More
Czech BooksPřemysl Pitter: the good fundamentalist
It is quite likely that you will never have heard of the Czech teacher,
religious thinker, pacifist and humanist, Přemysl Pitter, but he deserves
to be remembered as one of the great Czechs of the 20th century. Pitter
touched the lives of thousands, and his work helping children during and
just after the Second World War, matches the extraordinary achievements
Oskar Schindler. In a new biography of Přemysl Pitter, the writer and
journalist Pavel Kosatík puts his extraordinary life in context. We find
out more in Czech Books with David Vaughan. More
Czech BooksA remarkable book tells a story of resilience and courage
Not many people have their first book published when they are over 80, but
Jaroslava Skleničková is a remarkable exception. Her home village is
Lidice, a few miles to the west of Prague, where she and her husband
Čestmír, will be celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary next year.
But the fact that Jaroslava is alive at all is nothing short of a miracle.
Her book, which has just been published in English, tells the moving story
of her life, as David Vaughan reports in this week’s Czech Books.
More
Current AffairsPrague link established with Shoah Foundation video archive of Holocaust survivors
Prague is one of a few sites in Europe that has been chosen as an access
point for Hollywood director Steven Spielberg’s collection of Holocaust
recollections. The link with the Spielberg-financed Shoah Foundation has
already created strong interest locally after only a few weeks.
More
Current AffairsPotential key evidence in Demjanjuk trial uncovered
A Czech Radio reporter and colleague from the Los Angeles Times in a joint
interview have helped uncover evidence which could prove crucial in the
current trial of John Demjanjuk, a man accused of involvement in Nazi death
camp crimes. The evidence – the testimony of a witness – could help pin
Demjanjuk down as a guard who participated in the murder of thousands of
Jews at an infamous Polish camp.
More
Current AffairsMan who saved hundreds of children from Nazis celebrates 100th birthday
Sir Nicholas Winton – the British man who helped save 669 Czechoslovak
Jewish children from the Nazis in 1939 – will receive a telegram from the
Queen on Tuesday to mark his 100th birthday. As well as the traditional
reunion with those “Winton children” who settled in Britain after the
war, there were a number of events in the Czech Republic to mark his
centenary.
More
PanoramaJosefina Napravilová: an unsung Czech hero
In the days and weeks that followed the end of the Second World War,
31-year-old Josefina Napravilová noticed that there was a job that needed
to be done and without any fuss set about doing it. It was a time of chaos
– families had been broken up and the lists of missing persons were
frighteningly long. Many of those on the lists were children. Through sheer
determination and endless detective work, Josefina Napravilová managed to
reunite several dozen of these children with their families. For decades,
Josefina saw no particular reason to tell people about her achievements,
and only now has the full story been coming to light.
More
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