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includes Bohemia and Moravia
Jews probably first arrived as traders accompanying the Romans. A chronicler mentioned 14,000 of the 20,000 German, Austrian and Czech Jews deported to Latvia were murdered there in WW II. After May, 1945, there were 2,803 Jews living in Bohemia and Moravia. By 1948 there were more than 44,000, but many later emigrated to Israel. In 1950, there were only 18,000 and by 1970, only 2,000 Jews remained in Moravia. The Jewish community, now number- ing 5,000, was revived after the 1989 Velvet Revolution and is bolstered by large numbers of foreign Jews. Research - at this site you will find many links to Yugoslavia, Croatia, Bosnia and the Czech
Republic among other countries and subjects - http://www.jewishgen.org/austriaczech/
Prague Museum Jewish Characters The Czech Republic is located southeast of Germany and is slightly smaller than the state of South Carolina. Land boundaries are Austria, Germany, Poland and Slovakia. Nearly 85% of the Czech Jewish population were murdered in the Holocaust. Today, there are 10.3 million people living in this country. 77,291 -- names are painted on the wall of the sanctuary of the 500 year old Pinkas Synagogue in Prague. Jews achieved full emancipation in 1867. After WW II, the Communist rule made Jewish living even more difficult. Prague is the capital with a population of 1,200,000. Information about the Jews of the Czechoslovak Republic can be found at http://motlc.wiesenthal.com/text/x32/xm3274.html During the 1930s, keep in mind in your research, that all of western Ukraine was either located in Poland and/or Czechoslovakia. Archives Archives - Archiv Prazskeho hradu - in Prague National Archives Administration - in Prague State Archives - Czech Republic - in Prague Archives - List of archives in former German or German occupied territories. The list includes: Phone (0042-2) 57 32 03 38 Bergen-Belsen, Germany "Various Lists of Czechoslovak Inmates at Bergen-Belsen" Bohemia-Moravia Special interest Group - a site dedicated to the study of Jewish genealogy in the region of Moravia and Austria The book "Jewish Cemeteries of Bohemia and Moravia" authored by Jan Herman has illustrations of various types of vessels engraved on ancient tombstones found in some of the hundreds of wonderful cemeteries scattered around these former Habsburg territories. "The Web Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities In "The Web Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities In "GemeindeView" - The beginnings of a web based encyclopedia commemorating all of the Jewish communities that once existed in the Bohemia-Moravia region http://www.jewishgen.org/bohmor/gemeinde.htm To join this SIG, subscribe at Beginner's Guide to Austrian-Jewish Genealogy - you need to type in ausguide.html at this site The name Bohemia is still used in the Czech Republic which consists of Bohemia and Moravia.
"Ancient Ashkenazic Surnames: Jewish Surnames from Prague (15th to 18th Centuries)" by Alexander Beider. This book identifies 700 surnames from this ancient city of Prague. Buy from Amazon.com "Austrian, Czech and German Jews in Riga" - "Czech Business Directory" "Czech Jewish Vital Records Registers" authored by professional genealogist Felix Gundacher of Vienna, Austria has published two editions; one for Bohemia and one for Moravia. The Bohemian book costs about $21.00 and the Moravia book is priced at about $15.00. Each entry in the book shows the town and time span. Roman Catholic register entries are listed when they include Jewish records. Gundacher's e-mail address is ihff@netway.at Additional information can be found at "Encyclopedia of the Holocaust" - published by MacMillan Publishing in 1990 "The Great Jewish Cities of Central and Eastern Europe: A Travel guide and Resource Book to Prague, Warsaw, Cracow, and Budapest" - authored by Eli Valley Buy from Amazon.com "Jews In Svoboda's Army In The Soviet union-Czechoslovak Jewry's Fight Against the Nazis During World War II" by Erich Kulka. It gives a detailed history of the formation and fighting of Svoboda's Army and includes lists of its soldiers that either fell in battle or received medals. "The Jews of Czechoslovakia" - published by Jewish Publication Society in 1984 "The History of the Jews of Tachau" "Jewish Surnames in Prague: (15th-18th Centuries)" - authored by Alexander Beider
"The Problem of the Immigrant" - authored by James Davenport Whelpley and published in London by Chapman & Hall Ltd in 1905. Chapter 14 - Austria-Hungary - features an English translation of the Hungarian Emigration Law of 1903. General
Prague's Jewish Cemetery and Pinkas Synagogue Destruction of a Czech Town In the August 10 2000 issue of JewishGen Digest, Louis Schonfeld wrote about Czechoslovakia very succinctly. "Those of us doing research on East Central Europe know that Czechoslovakia is more of a concept than an actual place. It is an ideological haven for those emigrants who wish to be perceived as a little bit more educated, sophisticated and enlightened vis-a vis the surrounding cultures and countries. To be a Czech was to be unlike the stern "Huns", the too emotional "Magyars" or the unsophisticated "Slavs", but rather a citizen of the new democratic world view. Czechoslovakia, excluding the period of the Communist dictatorship, lasted as a recognized independent country for a total of 18 years: from the ratification of the Treaty of Trianon in 1920 until the infamous Munich Pact of 1938. Excluding that small window of time in history, the area referred to by so many as Czechoslovakia was in actuality the geographical entities called Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia and Sub Carpathian Ruthenia. These areas were part of the Austrian Empire, renamed the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the Ausgleich (1867). Culturally, each entity had its own flavor which was an admixture of the various stronger cultural elements operating there. Therefore, Bohemia and Moravia was culturally more Germanic and Sub Carpathian Ruthenia was culturally more Hungarian, Slovakia was something in between. Three political entities co-exists today as the Czech Republic - Bohemia (plus a section of Silesia), Moravia (from the 9th to the early 10th centuries was an empire unto itself.) Of course, this is a simplified description since many ethnic groups lived throughout the country and each contributed elements of their lifestyle to the cultural whole." About the Czech Republic - a detailed web site of information about the Czech Republic with plenty of links Getting Started with Czech-Jewish Genealogy - Association of Czechoslovakian Jewry in Israel e-mail Hitachdut Yotsey Czechoslovakia at csjews@zahav.net.il The association publishes the "Hazman Haze" and further information can be obtained by writing to PO Box 29833 Tel Aviv 61297, Israel Austria-Czech SIG, Bejt Praha Jewish Community Boskovice - a synagogue still exists in this town. Breznitz (Breznice) - located in the Prachiner Kreis District in Bohemia and 65 km SW of Prague. It had an old established Jewish community (before the 16th century) In the 1793 census, there were 21 Jewish families. It was the seat of the District Rabbi. Celia Male celiamale@yahoo.com has a copy of the 1793 census The Czech Federation of Jewish Communities - their resources are limited by the need to maintain some 350 cemeteries and 180 synagogues across the country. The president is Jan Munk and the executive director is Tomas Kraus. Constitution of the Czech Republic - Currency: 1 Koruna (Kc) = 100 haleru Czech Info Center - Current currency exchange rates; travel information, Genealogy Czech Mailing List on RootsWeb - send an e-mail with "subscribe" in the Subject line to CZECH-L-request@rootsweb.com Czech Searchable web site - in Czechoslovakian language East European Genealogical Society
Encyclopedia Of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic English - Czech Dictionary - Europages - business 2 business company directory and business in Europe, yellow pages access, international and European business directory (professional services, addresses and business classifieds Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic Forum of Jewish Communities (Kehillot) from Czechoslovakia http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/4017/CZECH.HTM http://www.zchor.org/CZECH.HTM Gesher Galicia ("Bridge to Galicia") Special Interest Group Genealogical research in the lands of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy - a Guide to Archives and Parish-Registers Jewish Communities - the forum of Jewish communities (Kehillot) from Czechoslovakia contains a list of over 550 lost communities from Czechia, Moravia and Slezia, Slovakia and Podkarpatska Rus, where there has once been a Jewish community of over 50 living Jews. There are now over 261. "Connection People", "Anshei Kesher", who are registered in the database, most of them were born in the town and they volunteered to try and preserve its heritage, and who can still give information. Jewish Federation of Slovakia Jewish Historical Sights - discover, via a visual tour, Jewish sites including the Jewish Old Town area in Prague, the medieval ghetto in Polna and Trebic, photos and information about the holocaust WW II memorial in Terezin. Though this is a commercial travel site, it deserves your review at Jewish Library of Prague - the Nazis in 1942 decided to preserve several synagogues and the library building in the Prague ghetto as a collection point for Jewish ritual items and books looted mainly from synagogues and private collections in Bohemia and Moravia. The museum objects are now so well preserved and displayed that it is a focal point of tourism in the city. The Jewish Library of Prague (JLP), has been preserved intact since it was founded in 1857. It started with 6,000 volumes and by 1938, there were 23,000 books and 350 manuscripts. At the beginning of WW II, these mere moved to the Zlata Koruna Monastery in south Bohemia and they were returned to Prague in 1946. Many of the books in the collection are marked with the signature "Jc" on a half-title or title page and a yellow label, called 'Ghettburcherie', was glued to the spine. One hundred thousand books were sent from Terezin to Prague. After the war, 40,000 of these books were sent to the Jewish National Library in Israel. The rest were returned to the Jewish institutions from which they were stolen. Today, the library contains approximately 100,00 volumes, many rare Jewish books and 400 manuscripts. If you are interested in the story of the JLP, you can read it in the American Jewish World Archives dated May 31, 2002 which was written by Rabbi Bernhard Raskas or write to: American Jewish World Kolin - the Torah, Ark and rabbinical chairs are now located in the Congregation Emanuel in Denver, Colorado. Librarians Serving Genealogist - has a Forum group on the Internet Map of Czech Republic Map of Prague - an excellent current map of the city http://www.worldexecutive.com/cityguides/prague/map_d2.html Moravia - the capital city for the Czech Republic's second city is Brno. Armaments were made here for the Jewish underground for use in Israel's fight for independence. Jews were expelled from royal cities between 1454 and 1514 and in 1526, by decree of the Catholic Hapsburg king Ferdinand I, began centuries of official, if not always enforced, religious intolerance. When Charles VI became King in 1725, he limited marriages by Jews to one son per family and mandated geographical separation in Moravian towns. Jews, who numbered about 43,000 in 1867, finally received full rights as Hapsburg monarchy citizens. Jews then became involved in trade, textile and clothing industries, timber, glass, sugar, malt, mining, iron and steel, even working on the railroad. Intellectuals and artists, philosophers and politicians began to emerge. Moving Here - trace your roots from Czech Republic to Britain and help in finding the relevant records in your search Museum of Family History - several interesting links National Library of the Czech Republic Newspaper Link Photos from the Czech Holocaust - we stumbled on this gallery of photos of Holocaust victims and there is a book of all of the photos available. On display is "Hell Survivors" Portraits of Israeli Holocaust survivors born in Czechoslovakia. Daniela Mrazkova is the Chair of Executive Board. The gallery is Josef Sudek Chamber Gallery of Photograph, Maiselova 2, 110.00 Praha 1; Tel: +420 222 3222 254 email: czech.photo@volny.cz Search & Unite - attempt to help locate people who, despite the passage of so many years since World War II, may still exist "out there". This organization also assists in the process of re-possession of property in the Czech Republic. See their Web page at Search Engines for Bulgaria Slavophilia - a comprehensive guide to Internet resources on Russia and Central/Eastern Tolodot - Julius Muller is the founder of this non-profit Jewish Family History Center Translating Translating - there are many translating services, some for free, available to help with Just in case you didn't think of it, contact a nearby university or college's foreign language Translation Service - a commercial site offering many language translating programs Translating Services - Click Here Just in case you didn't think of it, contact a nearby university or college's foreign language Vulgo is a Latin word used to define "commonly known as" in Czech Birth Registry entries. Yeshiva University Museum in New York - has a permanent exhibit that include an
Czech Cities
A view of Prague Administrative Divisions There are 8 regions (kraje, kraj - singular
Maps Art Source International offers a selection of antique maps, prints and globes at Art Source International Map of Czech Republic Berehovo (Bergovo) - there was a Jewish presence here before WW II Bockow - there was a Jewish presence here before WW II Bratislava - there was a Jewish presence here before WW II
Brno - capital city of the Moravian region of Czechoslovak. 11,000 Jews were deported by the Nazis in 1939 to Theresienstadt and other death camps. Only a few ever returned after WW II. There are about 200 Jews living among a population of 350,000 in 2005. There is a synagogue, built in 1936. It is the orthodox Agudas Ahim located at 13 Skorepka. City maps identify "Das Alte Ferdinandstor (The Old Ferdinand Gate) as "The Jewish Gate". It is located at the end of Masarykova, the city's main street. Klein Palace is located at No. 15 in the oldest plaza (Namesti Svobody) and was built in the mid-19th century for Jewish ironworks owners. Jewish community offices are at Kpt. Jarose 3 - telephone: 011 420 545 244 710 Moravian Gallery (Moravska Galerie) built in the late 19th century for a Jewish industrialist Villa Tugendhat - built in 1930 for a young married Jewish couple of the Tugendhat family, owners of numerous textile factories is located at Cernopolni 45 Bushchyno - the Rusyn name for Bustyahaza. Bustyahaza was the former Magyar (Hungarian) name. During the Soviet period, it had the spelling Bushtyna, which is also the current Ukrainian spelling. Bushtino was the former Czechoslovak official place name. Bzenc (Bzenec)- there was a Jewish presence Caslav
Cesky Krumlov - main square. Once a wealthy trading center. Within the Old Inn, there are vaults dating from the 13th century. Ceska Trevova - this place name exists in both Bohemia and Moravia and was often prefixed by "Bohmisch" or "Mahrisch" in order to distinguish it (now 'Ceske/Ceska' and 'Moravske/Moravska') 'Ceska Trebova and Moravska Trebova (please note the correct spelling) are two distinct towns about 30 km (20 miles) from each other on the respective side of the traditional border between Bohemia and Moravia. There are several other towns that use the descriptor "Cesky/Ceska" and Moravsky/Moravska" to distinguish themselves from a town of the same name in another land. Usually that have as little to do with each other as Paris, Texas has to do with Paris, France. (See Cesky Krumlov/Moravsky Krumlov, Beske Budejovice (formerly Budweis of Budweiser beer fame)/ Moravske Budejovice, Cesky Tesin/Cieszyn, etc.)' Cimysl is 166 miles north northwest of Vienna or about 45 km (30 miles) southeast of Liberec on Highway E442 (or Hwy 35) and about 60 km (40 miles) northeast of Prague, in Northern Bohemia. Czestochowa - there was a Jewish presence here before WW II Decin - The Jewish Community; Phone: 412 531 095; e-mail Doubrava - near Ostrava (formerly Maehrisch-Ostrau), and was Austrian at various times. It's in the southeastern part of Silesia. Here's a map: Frantiskovy Lazne (Franzensbad)
Hartmanice - there is a synagogue, built around 1885, for some 100 members of the Jewish community, which later declined during the next 30 years. During WW II, it was turned into a workshop and later became a military storage room under the Communist regime. By the 1980s, the synagogue was in need of complete reconstruction, but the nearby Jewish community in Plzen lacked money to fund repairs. Michal Klima paid $5,600 for the synagogue after he discovered that it was up for sale on the Internet. He hopes to raise enough money to turn the building into a Jewish Museum. More information about this synagogue can be in in both English and Czech at Hranice Jicin - There are Regional Special Interest Groups that have Czech Republic information and links. The site includes links to Bohemia-Moravia SIG, Denmark SIG, German-Jewish SIG, Hungary SIG and Stammbaum - German SIG at Jonava (Yanovo) - located in the Kovno Uyezd. In JewishGen's ShtetlSeeker, there are Yanovo's/Janowa's in Belarus, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Russia. There are also many towns named Janow in Poland, including a Janow Podlaski and a Janow Lubelskie. There is even another Yonavo in Lithuania other than the one in Kovno Uyezd - today it is called Jokavai. According to a fellow genealogist, Karl Poll |
Books
