Programme

Antisemitism "The Seventh Variant" – Eruption of a wave of antisemitism in light of the "Iron Swords" war:

Ariel Feldestein

In the first three weeks of the war (October 7–25) there was a 500% increase in the scope of all anti-Semitic incidents, compared to the corresponding period last year and this trend continues. Alongside this dramatic increase, there were also hundreds of demonstrations in support of Hamas and the Palestinians in many cities around the world, which included expressions of support for the killing of Jews and the destruction of the State of Israel. In this context, an increase in the use of the swastika and the figure of Hitler is also noticeable. As part of this, an attempt was made to make a comparison between the events of the Holocaust and the Nazis' intention to carry out the systematic extermination of the Jewish people, and Israel's alleged actions towards the Palestinians. Since this is a historical study, in addition to tracing the current process ("the seventh variant"), an attempt will be made to emphasize the similarities and differences and especially the unique characteristics of the current phenomenon in light of the "Iron Swords" war.

TGM and Jews, Jews and TGM

Táňa Klementová

T. G. Masaryk is still perceived today, especially as a result of the Hilsner affair, as a positive politician towards the Jewish minority. However, Masaryk's attitude towards the Jews was not as unequivocal as is often stated. This lecture will discuss the changes in Masaryk's views on Judaism and the events that influenced his attitudes. At the same time, it will present the relationship of important Jewish personalities to the establishment of Czechoslovakia and its first president.

Arnost's Journey

The graphic novel "Arnost's Journey" is a novel in pictures for older children from fourteen to one hundred years of age. The book tells about important moments in the journey of Arnošt Lustig, a humanist and one of the most important Czech writers who survived the Holocaust. At the age of fifteen, he was transported to the Terezín concentration camp. He wrote about it all his life – fiction, non-fiction and film scripts for internationally acclaimed films. He taught at university and was shortlisted three times for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

What kind of life has this man actually lived? And what was it like to live his childhood alongside him? The pictorial narrative portrays key moments and ideas important to him and to his children, Eva and Joseph. The book is conceived as a dialogue about their journey through life. Eva, Josef and Arnošt grow older on it and find out all sorts of things about each other, and in doing so, grow closer to each other. They get closer to who they really are and who they are to each other.

The book was written in cooperation with the Arnošt Lustig Foundation. The book was written by contemporary Czech writer Markéta Pilátová, based on interviews with Arnošt Lustig's daughter, Eva Lustig, and textual material provided by the Foundation. The photographic documentation was prepared by illustrator Eliška Podzimková.