Czechia and Israel: together in the past and the future

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the renewal of diplomatic relations between the Czech Republic and the State of Israel. Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the communist rule in Czechoslovakia ended. The non-violent transition of power from the communist regime to a democratic government became known as the Velvet Revolution. In December 1989, former dissident Václav Havel was elected President of Czechoslovakia. The then Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres and the then Foreign Minister Moshe Arens visited Prague in February 1990, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were re-established that same month. In April 1990, Havel became the first leader of the former communist Eastern Europe to visit Israel. Czechoslovak Jews, who for decades had not been allowed to visit friends and family in Israel, considered Havel’s visit to Israel miraculous. Holocaust survivors living in Czechoslovakia accompanied their new president on his visit, as the trip coincided with the opening of “Where Cultures Meet”, a major exhibition on Czechoslovak Jews presented in Tel Aviv at Beth Hatefutsot, the Museum of the Jewish Diaspora. The reconnection with Israel stimulated Jewish life in Czechoslovakia, and Czech-Israeli cooperation began to increase. The Czech-Israeli Mutual Chamber of Commerce was founded in February 1996. In 1993, Czechoslovakia was divided into the independent countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Havel continued as president of the Czech Republic. His initial visit in 1990 illustrated the importance and depth of good relations between Czechs and Israelis. An essential part of this equation was the Czech / Czechoslovak Jewish community. Jews had been integrated into Czech society since the 19th century and played an important role in introducing the Zionist movement to the Czech public. They also represented an important part of society, which contributed to the development of Czechoslovakia as a free and democratic state. Jewish soldiers were also an important part of the Czechoslovak resistance in World War II. HAVEL, who died in 2011, and current President Miloš Zeman, who has continuously supported Israel in the international arena, are part of a remarkable tradition of Czech-Jewish-first friendship. personified by Tomáš Masaryk, the well-known Czech politician, statesman, sociologist and philosopher, founder and first president of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. Masaryk was dismayed by the Hilsner Affair, a series of anti-Semitic trials in 1899 and 1900 following an indictment of blood libel against Leopold Hilsner, a Jewish inhabitant of Polná, a small town in Bohemia, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He spoke out forcefully against anti-Semitism in the Czech lands. Later, as president of Czechoslovakia, Masaryk became the first head of a modern state to visit Palestine. He was interested in Zionism, and the Zionists were interested in Czechoslovakia, which represented a modern multinational state where Jews could declare their Jewish nationality. “When it comes to Zionism, I can only express my sympathy for it and for the national movement of the Jewish people in general, as it has great moral significance. I have observed the Zionist and national movement of the Jews in Europe and in our own country, and I have come to understand that it is not a movement of political chauvinism, but one that fights for the rebirth of its people, ”Masaryk said in 1918. The Munich Agreement of 1938, in which Hitler, with the consent of France, Britain and Italy, swallowed up much of Czechoslovakia, was a difficult lesson for the Yishuv (Jewish community in pre-state Israel), and is remembered in Israeli Political Speech to this day. Exhibition in Trebic in honor of a Czech rescuer of Jewish children (CENTRO CULTURAL DE TREBIC)

Masaryk’s commitment to creating a Jewish state was followed by the efforts of his successor Edvard Beneš, as well as those of his son, Jan Masaryk, who served as Foreign Minister after World War II. Both Beneš and Masaryk were members of the Czech government in exile in Britain during World War II. Beneš, who served as president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938 and again from 1945 to 1948, condemned the destruction of European Jews and supported Jewish aspirations for a state in Palestine. In 1948, Czechoslovak aid to Israel, both in weapons and military training, was vital to its successful fight for independence. Of course, Czech behavior towards Jews and Israel is not exclusively made up of positive chapters. After the Munich Accords, and again during the communist regime, some Czech politicians openly aligned themselves against Jews and Jewish heritage, carried out an anti-Israel policy, or put Jews in prison “as Zionist spies.” Even after the Velvet Revolution, the restitution of Jewish property went through a complicated process. When the Czech government launched the International Terezin Declaration during its presidency of the EU in 2009 to resolve property issues that remained open since the Holocaust era, some local Czech politicians did not feel a moral obligation to follow the declaration. Even today, some disputes on this issue remain unresolved. Regarding the relations between the Czechs and the Jews and Israel, the Masaryk path is the key to seeing the moral right of the rebirth of Judaism in the land of Israel. To ensure that relations between Israel and the Czech Republic continue to flourish, there must be meaningful content and contact. Although the Jewish community in the Czech Republic has shrunk in size due to the Holocaust and emigration to Israel and Western countries (the country today is home to some 4,000 Jews), the Jewish cultural heritage has been perpetuated by many non-local groups. Jews, who maintain synagogues and cemeteries, organize Jewish cultural festivals, and participate in Yom HaShoah celebrations. These groups see the integration of Jewish heritage and culture as part of their moral obligation to Czech history. There are other groups in Czech society in general that promote friendly relations with the State of Israel. As a further indication of the close ties between the Czech Republic and Israel, a local fast food chain has successfully promoted the menus of Israeli chef Charlie Fadida. TODAY, THE COOPERATION between Israel and the Czech Republic is thriving in science, business and technology. Numerous Czech-Israeli projects are currently underway, including examining the use of nanotechnologies to clean air or water, the use of artificial intelligence in computer vision, the development of assistive devices for physiotherapy, planning of robotic laparoscopic surgery and conflict-free movement of oneself. In the corporate world, ŠKODA AUTO, the Czech automaker, has established a joint venture in Israel, partnering with leading Israeli startups to develop hardware and software solutions for use in the Czech and Israeli markets, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries built a large modern plant in the Czech Republic for the European market. As Israeli President Reuven ‘Ruvi’ Rivlin has said, the Czech Republic and Israel are blessed with excellent researchers and scientists, and cooperation comes naturally in many areas. Both countries have inspiring business histories, and Israeli and Czech entrepreneurs can work together to promote their products jointly in other markets. Israel and the Czech Republic, two young countries with a shared past, stand ready to continue their close diplomatic, scientific and commercial cooperation. far in the future. This article was written in cooperation with Donath Business & Media sro