Evening programmes in the Education & Culture Centre

Education and Culture Centre

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September 10

Monday 6 September, 6 p.m.: Art and Judaism. The European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage declares traditionally the first September’s Sunday a European Day of Jewish Culture. This year’s topic is Art and Judaism. A lecture by Dr Arno Pařík will be dealing with the prohibition on depicting according to the Second Commandment, with construction and decoration of Mishkan and Solomon’s Temple, with decoration of synagogues both of the ancient world and of modern times, with Hebrew manuscripts and old editions, with attempts at national art and participation of Jewish artists in the rise of modern art.

Tuesday 14 September, 6 p.m.: An Evening Dedicated in Memory to Hana Volavková (1904–1985). Professor Jan Volavka, her son, doctor Michal Šroněk, art historian and her grand nephew and Magda Veselská, a worker employee of the Museum, who has been carrying out her research of Hana Volavková will remember the personality and work of this important art historian and long term director of the Jewish Museum in Prague, during the course of one of the most turbulent times of the Museum´s existence. Moderated by Petr Brod. The evening will be combined with the opening of the exhibition dedicated to Hana Volavková. Small refreshment.

Thursday 16 September, 6 p.m.: The Good Cannot Be Planned, It Is just Done. Přemysl Pitter was a Protestant thinker, charity and social worker, who lived most of his life in disagreement with the main streams of history in the last century. His experience during the Great War made him a radical pacifist and a religious non-conformist. In 1933, he opened the Milíčův dům in Prague, a sanctuary for orphans and suffering children. During the occupation he helped Jewish children and in 1945–1947 he organized help for more than 800 Jewish, Czech and also German children who survived concentration camps. In 1951 he was forced to emigrate and worked in the refugee camp Valka at Nurnberg. He collaborated with Radio Free Europe and published a magazine. His life was full of outstanding actions and deserves our attention. A lecture by Pavel Kosatík, the author of the book Alone against the Evil: Přemysl Pitter´s Life (1895–1976). The book will be available for purchase at a special price.

Monday 20 September, 6 p.m.: Olinka, A Friendship that Began during the War. A presentation of the book by Dutch writer Peter de Knegt who re-constructs the story of the friendship that his father in Hamburg made with a Czech Jewish girl from a concentration camp. The narration puts together a mosaic of two human fates opposing the inhumanity of war. At the same time it documents what is to be unveiled when we set off to discover the life dramas of the war generation from our own time. The book will be presented by Helena Klímová and the author will be taking part in the presentation as well. Extracts from the book will be read by Hana Králová, the daughter of the heroine. The book will be available for purchase at a special price.

Wednesday 21 September, 6 p.m.: Czech Wings over Zion. A documentary on Czechoslovak participation in the rise of the Jewish state 60 years ago and its heritage today. Czechoslovakia did not only support the newly born state in the United Nations Organization, but also with weapons and the training of soldiers. The eyewitnesses of the first war for independence, who appear in the film, which was shot both in the Czech Republic and Israel, have gone through many other conflicts and are not very optimistic about the future. They do not expect an easy solution to the war or terroristic attacks that occur in their region. Czech Republic, 2008, 57 minutes. Directed by Zdeněk J. Pojman. The documentary will be presented by authors Jiří Reichl and Aleš Knížek.

Monday 27 September, 6 p.m.: Witness of Life and Death. Eva Roubíčková survived the ghetto in Terezín because she was young, strong and mostly because while working outside in agriculture she had somebody who was helping her. How did she meet him? She had a leave permit as she was a shepherd and while grazing sheep at the pasture she met Karel Košvanec, who brought her food and who saved not only her but tens of other imprisoned people ... The diary Eva was writing in Terezín is a witness of the fate of a human but simultaneously it is authentic historic material that gets us closer to life in the ghetto. It records executions, waves of transport to the East, the so-called beautifying of the town before the Red Cross visit and other events. We can also find testimonies on the day-to-day worries and sometimes on the few pleasures of the prisoners. Petr Brod will lead the discussion with Eva Roubíčková. Táňa Fišerová will read extracts from the work. The book will be available for purchase at a special price.

Sunday programme for children and their parents

19 September, 2010, 2 p.m.: Lion Cub Arje Gets Acquainted with the Jewish Year. Lion Cub Arje will explain us how the Jewish calendar is counted, when the Jews celebrate the New Year and about the feasts of Rosh ha Shanah, Yom Kipur, Sukot and Simchat Torah. Together, we will learn the songs for the particular feasts and we will taste traditional holiday dishes.

Tour: Prague Jewish Town Admittance 50 CZK

The individual programmes admission is 30 CZK if not mentioned otherwise. The lecture hall is always open to the public 20 minutes before starting a programme. After the beginning of a concert or 15 minutes after the beginning of other programmes entering the Education and Culture Centre is not allowed.

Exhibitions in the venue of the Centre (Exhibition is open to the public Mon–Thurs 10 a.m.–3 p.m., Fri 10 a.m.–12 p.m.)

Hana Volavková (1904–1985): The exhibition commemorates the personality and work of an important worker and also a long-time director of the Jewish Museum in Prague, art historian Hana Volavková. She indelibly made her mark in the turbulent history of this institution in 1943 – 1961 and she set her seal on its direction in which it has been going on until now. Within her special work she was an instigator and co-author of the Memorial of Bohemian and Moravian Victims of the Shoah in the Pinkas Synagogue. The exhibition is a part of the course dedicated to important personalities of the Museum.