1. Introduction
2. Profile of the Jewish Museum in Prague
3. 1999 attendance statistics
4. New exhibitions
5. Contacts and collaboration in the Czech Republic and abroad
6. Specialist and research work
7. Educational activities
8. Cultural activities
9. Publications and retail activities
10. Archives and documentation
11. Collections
12. Library
13. Computer network
14. Technical and construction projects
15. Prominent visits
16. Sponsors’ donations
17. Donations provided by the JMP
Attachments: information about economy JMP

1. Introduction

The Jewish Museum in Prague (JMP), which was re-established on 1 October 1994 following the dissolution of the State Jewish Museum, went ahead in 1999 with the implementation of its long-term objectives.

After the completion of their terms in Autumn 1999, certain changes were made to the composition of the JMP Board of Directors and Supervisory Board. The organizations which are represented in these bodies - the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, the Jewish Community in Prague and the Czech Ministry of Culture - worked closely with JMP management and had a positive impact on its activities. In 1999, unlike in previous years, the JMP was not involved in any major projects to refurbish or reconstruct the historic buildings which it uses for exhibition purposes, as these had been completed during the last four years. Instead, the JMP focused on the refurbishment and reconstruction of its future office and research centre, which is situated in a former Jewish hospital adjacent to the Spanish Synagogue. At the same time, the JMP extended a number of its previous activities, namely maintenance work in buildings in which it operates; upgrading of storage facilities for its collections; safeguarding of collections and exhibitions by a modern security system; computer cataloguing and digitization of its holdings; publishing, consultancy, scientific, educational and cultural activities in the field of Jewish studies and Jewish history and culture.

The JMP can be said to have been successful in all its activities in 1999. The care it devotes to the Jewish cultural heritage of Bohemia and Moravia reflects the high degree of professionalism of its staff and its special relationship to the artefacts it looks after - serving to commemorate the Genocide of Bohemian and Moravian Jews during the Second World War. There was only one instance of failing, which was all the more regrettable in view of the fact that this concerned the loss of two collection items from a permanent exhibition. The theft, which was committed in November 1999 by two people who remain as yet unknown, took place despite the JMP’s high standard of security measures in place. The police and relevant local and foreign institutions were furnished with a detailed description of the stolen items in the hope of their subsequent recovery and return to the JMP.

During 1999 the JMP had a full-time staff of 91 and used the services of 160 external workers on a short-term contractual basis.

2. Profile of the Jewish Museum in Prague

a) Property managed by the JMP

• Office building, Jáchymova Street 3, Prague 1: Museum administration, specialist offices and workshops.
• Maisel Synagogue: in the main nave is the permanent exhibition, "The History of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia - I. From the Establishment of Jewish Settlements to the Period of Emancipation." A total of 145 originals and facsimiles are exhibited.
• Pinkas Synagogue: in the main nave is the "Monument to the Victims of the Nazi Genocide of Bohemian and Moravian Jews"; in the gallery is the permanent exhibition, "Terezín Children’s Drawings." A total of 238 originals and facsimiles are exhibited.
• Klausen Synagogue: in the main nave is the permanent exhibition, "Jewish Customs and Traditions - I. The Synagogue and Festivals"; in the gallery is the permanent exhibition, "Jewish Customs and Traditions - II. The Course of Life." A total of 474 originals and facsimiles are exhibited. The JMP Reservation Centre is also located in the building complex.
• Ceremonial Hall: Continuation of the permanent exhibition, "Jewish Customs and Traditions - II. The Course of Life." A total of 140 originals and facsimiles are exhibited.
• Spanish Synagogue: in the main nave and gallery is the exhibition, "The History of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia - II. From Emancipation to the Present." A total of 535 originals and facsimiles are exhibited.
• Old Jewish Synagogue, 15th - 18th century.
• Cultural and Educational Centre, Maiselova Street 15, Prague 1
• Main textile depository, located in a 19th century rural synagogue
• 19th century synagogue in Brandýs nad Labem: future storage area for part of the JMP Library
• Two former hospital buildings in Dušní Street, Prague: future JMP administration and research centre.
• 18th century Jewish cemetery, Fibichova Street, Prague.
• Former synagogue dating from the 1930s in the Smíchov district of Prague: future JMP archive unit 

b) JMP features:

• Permanent exhibition tours
• Short-term exhibition tours
• Scheduled visits via the JMP Reservation Centre
• Guided exhibition tours
• Special lectures and tours organized via the JMP’s Educational and Cultural Centre
• Seminars
• Cultural programmes on Jewish topics at the JMP’s Educational and Cultural Centre
• Use of the ORT computer room which specialises in Jewish topics and offers access to the Internet and special software
• Specialist library services for the professionals and the general public
• Consultation services for the professionals and the general public on issues related to the history of Bohemian and Moravian Jews
• Consultation services for the professionals and the general public on issues related to the persecution of Bohemian and Moravian Jews during the Second World War
• Historic visual material for reproduction
• Own publications and publicity material

3. 1999 attendance statistics

	1999 attendance statistics
	Total number of visitors				Special educational programme
			Adults	Children	Adults	Children
Jan.	13 491		9145	3544	319	483
Feb.	17 330		10 068	6096	342	824
Mar.	48 097		18 598	27 685	449	1356
Apr.	53 657		30 391	20 568	628	2070
May.	57 032		40 350	13 319	899	2464
Jun.	44 415		30 707	9756	899	3053
Jul.	53 207		36 692	13 425	1360	1730
Aug.	74 597		55 040	16 355	1491	1711
Sep.	55 937		39 499	12 191	784	3463
Oct.	53 742		37 689	11 579	975	3499
Nov.	30 585		21 468	6852	572	1693
Dec.	24 573		17 027	5851	476	1219
Total	526 663

4. New exhibitions

 

a) Temporary exhibitions

• "Viktor Munk - Faces and Figures" - Winter Prayer Hall of the Spanish Synagogue, 25 March - 16 May 1999
• "Muder in Polná" - Winter Prayer Hall of the Spanish Synagogue, 17 June - 15 October 1999
• "Genizot, Findings in Bohemian and Moravian Synagogues" - Winter Prayer Hall of the Spanish Synagogue, 4 November 1999 - 30 January 2000

b) JMP exhibitions outside Prague, participation in exhibitions organized by other institutions (loans and consultation)

1. In the Czech Republic

• Klatovy - Klenová Gallery – "Aleš Veselý: Obsession, Reality, Utopia"
• Holešov City Cultural Centre – reinstallation of an exhibition in the Shakh Synagogue
• Nymburk Regional Museum – historic exhibition in the former synagogue building
• Franz Kafka Gallery, Prague – loan of two paintings
• The Municipal House of Prague – exhibition "Journey to the South"
• Ostrava City Art Gallery – "Aleš Veselý: Obsession, Reality, Utopia"
• Terezín Memorial (Ghetto Museum) – exhibition on the history of the ghetto
• District Museum in Chomutov – "Shalom" – chapters from the history of the Jews in NW Bohemia
• Exhibition of photography by Radovan Kodera – "Jews Lived Here", Pilsen
• Jewish Community in Pilsen – permanent regional exhibition in the Great Synagogue
• Jewish Community in Pilsen – exhibition of children’s drawings in the Great Synagogue Gallery, Pilsen
• Terezín Memorial - "Sunday Painter Viktor Munk ", May - July 1999
• Klatovy City Museum - "Jewish Sights in the West Bohemian Region"
• Arts Faculty, Charles University - "Muder in Polná". On the occasion of a conference to mark the centenary of the Hilsner Affair, 23-26 November 1999
• Třebíč Local Authority - preparations for the permanent exhibition "Jewish Culture in Třebíč"
• Jihlava District Museum, Polná section - involvement in preparations for a permanent exhibition in the Polná Synagogue
• Terezín Memorial - "Literary Work in Terezín", provision of exhibit replicas
• Terezín Memorial - "Terezín Theatre", replicas of exhibits from JMP collections

 

II. Abroad

• Immigration Museum, Melbourne, Australia - "Precious Legacy"
• Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden - "Synagogues of Thirteen Towns"
• Centre de Cultura Contemporánia de Barcelona - exhibition "Franz Kafka and Prague"
• Kunstforum Wien – "Das Jahrhundert der Frauen"
• Jüdisches Museum Wien – "Utopia? The History of the Future in Judaism"
• Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles, USA. - travelling exhibition "Friedl. The Life and Art of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis"
• Wien (Palais Harrach) - travelling exhibition "Friedl. The Life and Art of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis"
• Graz (Landesmuseum) - travelling exhibition "Friedl. The Life and Art of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis"
• Stadtbibliothek Sulzbach-Rosenberg - exhibition of children’s drawings from Terezín
• Soka Gakkai Int., Melbourne, Australia - exhibition of children’s drawings, "The Children of Terezín. Their Art and Legacy", in the Glen Eira City Gallery
• Exhibition of musical works by Viktor Ullmann, Switzerland, copies of scores from JMP collections

5. Contacts and collaboration in the Czech Republic and abroad

The JMP collaborated with 43 foreign and 47 local political, administrative, cultural, academic and educational institutions:

• The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation (USA)
• The Rich Foundation (Israel)
• The World ORT Union (Uk )
• The Jewish Museum New York
• The Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture (USA)
• The American Joint Distribution Committee (USA)
• Yad Vashem (Israel)
• The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• The Bar-Ilan University (Israel)
• Beit Hatefutsoth, Tel Aviv, (Israel)
• The Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts of the Jewish National and University Library, Jerusalem
• Beit Theresienstadt (Israel)
• Museum Victoria - Immigration Museum, Melbourne, Australia
• The Simon Wiesenthal Center – Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles, CA, USA
• The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington DC, USA
• The Soka Gakkai Int., Melbourne, Australia
• Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA, USA
• Kunstforum Wien, Austria
• Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Neue Nationalgalerie
• The American Joint Distribution Committee (USA)
• Hitachdut Yotsei Czechoslovakia, Tel Aviv (Israel)
• Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaisme, Paris (The Museum of Art and History of Judaism)
• Museen der Stadt Wien
• Regensburg - Amt fur Denkmalpflege und Archiv
• Europäische Kommission - Generaldirektion X - Programm Raphael
• Groningen Synagogue Foundation (Holland)
• Ośvięcim muzeum (Poland)
• Institut für Geschichte der Juden in Österreich, St. Pölten (The Institute for the History of the Jews in Austria)
• The Institute of Jewish Studies, Bratislava (Slovakia)
• The Jewish Heritage Council, World Monuments Fund, New York
• Jüdisches Museum, Wien (The Jewish Museum, Vienna)
• The Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York
• The Czech and Slovak Jewish Communities Archive, New York
• Artsgenesis Institutes, New York
• Brücke/ Most Stiftung, Prague
• Hochschule für Jüdische Studien, Heidelberg
• Finchley Reform Synagogue, London
• The Temple Torah Synagogue, Florida
• Museen der Stadt Nürnberg
• Deutsch-Amerikanische Institut Nürnberg
• Begegnungsstätte Kleine Synagoge Erfurt
• Gesellschaft zur Förderung Jüdischer Kultur und Traditionen München
• The Institute of Jewish Studies, Bratislava (Slovakia)
• The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic
• The Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic
• The Embassy of the State of Israel in the Czech Republic
• The Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic
• The Jewish Community of Prague
• The Jewish Community of Brno
• The Jewish Community of Pilsen
• Matana, a.s., Prague
• The Jewish Youth Union of the Czech Republic
• The Terezín Memorial
• The Terezín Initiative
• The Institute of the Terezín Initiative
• The Holocaust Phenomenon Project
• Hidden Child
• The Gideon Klein Foundation
• The Franz Kafka Centre, Prague
• The Prague Institute for Monument Preservation
• The State Central State Archive
• The Moravian Land Archive
• The City of Prague Archive
• The State District Archive in Prague
• The State District Archive in Třeboň
• The National Museum Archive
• SETUZA a.s., Ústí nad Labem, corporate archives
• The National Museum
• The Prague City Museum
• The West Bohemian Museum, Pilsen
• Adolf Kašpar Monument, Loštice
• The Museum of Romany Culture
• The Preservation Institute of Central Bohemia
• The Brno City House of Art
• Břeclav City Museum and Gallery
• The Franz Kafka Gallery, Prague
• The Prague City Gallery
• The Klatovy - Klenová Gallery,
• The National Library of the Czech Republic
• The Library of the National Museum
• The Institute for Contemporary History at the Czech Academy of Sciences
• The Map Collection of the Charles University
• The Litomyšl School of Restoration and Conservation Technology
• Medard Publishing House, Prague
• Vamberk Lace Museum
• Prague Information Service
• Prague City Hall
• Lomnice (Tišnov) Local Authority
• Spálené Poříčí Local Authority
• The Open Society Fund

6. Specialist and research work

a) Preparation of new exhibitions

I. In the Czech Republic

• Reinstallation of the JMP permanent exhibition "History of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia - I. From the Beginning of From the Establishment of Jewish Settlements to the Period of Emancipation" (December 2000 - January 2001). Staff at the Department of Jewish Studies and the Collection Department prepared the scenario of the exhibition, assessed the designer’s proposals, made a selection of exhibits from the collections of the JMP and other institutions, and commissioned facsimile copies. The Collection Department ensured that selected items were restored, conserved, cleaned and documented. The exhibition was curated by Dr. Alexandr Putík and Dr. Eva Kosáková
• The National Gallery in Prague - exhibition "Baroque Bohemia" (January - March 2002). JMP’s collaboration involves the incorporation of Jewish topics.
• Preparation of the representative exhibition "Textiles from the Collections of the JMP", Prague Castle Imperial Stables (January - March 2002)
• Preparation of the exhibition "Jewish Moravia, Jewish Brno", Brno House of Art, in collaboration with the "k 2001" Foundation (December 2000)
• Preparation of the permanent exhibition "Jewish Culture in Třebíč", in collaboration with the Třebíč Local Authority in the "Rear Synagogue", Třebíč (to open in January 2000)
• Negotiations with the Lomnice Local Authority concerning preparations for a permanent exhibition in Lomnice
• Negotiations with the Břeclav Local Authority concerning preparations for a permanent exhibition
• Preparation of a permanent exhibition in Březnice and Ledeč 

 

II. Abroad

• The Imperial War Museum, London - consultation, literature searches in the Terezín collection for the prepared exhibition "Legacy of Silence"
• Negotiations concerning preparations for an exhibition to be held in a synagogue in Groningen and Amsterdam.

b) Material for local and foreign institutions

• Collaboration with genealogists in the Czech Republic - preparation of literature searches and consultation (V. Hamáčková, A. Putík , J. Fiedler)
• Microfilming of archive documents from the collections of the Holocaust Section for Yad Vashem
• Negotiations with Yad Vashem, the Archive Administration of the Interior Ministry, and the State Central Archive, concerning the completion of the microfilming project for Yad Vashem
• Negotiations with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum concerning the transfer of copies of microfilmed JMP documents stored at Yad Vashem
• The Hans Krása Initiative, Hamburg - copying of scores written by Terezín composers and of Terezín portrait photographs for the publication "Komponisten in Theresienstadt" 

c) Research activities

 

1. Department of Jewish Studies and the History of the Jews

Research topics:

• Epigraphic memorials - synagogues, Jewish cemeteries (V. Hamáčková)
• Research on the Jewish cemetery in Brandýs nad Labem (V. Hamáčková)
• Relations of State and Church institutions towards Jews in the 17th and 18th centuries (A.Putík )
• The Sabbatanian movement in Bohemia (A. Putík )
• Censorship of Hebrew books (A. Putík )
• Religious customs (minhagim) in Bohemia (A. Putík )
• The Genizah as a source for the history of Jewish communities in Bohemia and Moravia (O. Sixtová)
• Jewish literature, manuscript records and printing in Bohemia and Moravia (O. Sixtová)
• Preparation of an information database of Jewish communities in the Czech Republic (J. Fiedler)
• Housing areas, synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in Bohemia and Moravia - archive and field research (J. Fiedler)
• Demography of the Jewish population of Bohemia and Moravia - archive research (J. Fiedler)
• History of the Holocaust of Bohemian and Moravian Jews (A. Franková, J. Šplíchalová)
• Reminiscences of Holocaust survivors (A. Hyndráková, A. Lorencová)

II. The Collection Department

• Research topics:
• Jewish portraits in the emancipation era (M. Hájková)
• Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and children’s drawings from Terezín (M. Hájková)
• Work connected to membership in the "Expert team for a clarification of historic and economic issues of Aryanization of Jewish property", established in the framework of the Mixed Working Committee, which was set up by the Czech Government in November 1998 (M. Hájková, M. Veselská)
• The oldest draperies in the JMP collections (D. Veselská)
• Search for the original owners of objects based on acquisition book data as part of the settlement of restitution issues (H. Kopřivová, M. Veselská)
• Torah pointers - structure of collection, morphology, production and time scale (J. Kuntoš)
• Synagogue architecture in Bohemia and Moravia (A. Pařík )
• Genizot in Bohemia and Moravia (Holešov, Rychnov, Doudleby, Humpolec and Zálužany (A. Pařík )
• Regional Jewish settlements and sights in Rychnov nad Kněžnou, Dobruška and Žamberk (A. Pařík )
• Synagogue murals in Třebíč, Boskovice and Úsov (A. Pařík )
• History of the Old Synagogue and Spanish Synagogue buildings(A. Pařík )
• Architectural history of the Old Synagogue and Spanish Synagogue (A. Pařík )

 

III. Library

• Long-term research topics:
• Prague Hebrew prints in the JMP library holdings
• Origin of the JMP library holdings
• "Publication activities of Prague Jewish societies" (D. Polakovič) - published in Judaica Bohemie XXXIV
• "Select catalogue of Moravian Hebrew prints in the JMP library holdings" (D. Polakovič - A. Braunová) - article prepared for Judaica Bohemie
• "History of Hebrew printing in Moravia" - contribution to a conference on issues related to the historic and rare holdings of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia" in Olomouc, 20-21 October 1999

7. Educational activities

 

a) The Cultural and Educational Centre

I. Educational programmes for Czech schools (primary and secondary schools, universities, teacher training)

• attended by 3,973 people in Prague and 860 outside the capital

 

II. Educational programmes for foreign visitors (students, teachers, tourists)

• attended by 45 people - 21 from Germany, 15 from USA and 9 from Denmark

 

III. Courses for tour guides

• attended by 420 people.

 

IV. Seminars

• "Pluralistic Judaism" (March 1999), organized in collaboration with the Rich Foundation. Lectures were given by Dr. Menachem Lorberbaum (Tel Aviv University), Rabbi Neamah Kelman-Ezrahi (Hebrew Union College), and Ruth Kalderon (Almah College,Tel Aviv).
• "How to teach the Holocaust" (June - July 1999), organized in collaboration with the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and involving the participation of the prominent Czech writer Arnošt Lustig, who has focused on the Shoah in a number of works.
• "The Hilsner Affair and Czech Society, 1899 - 1999" (November 1999), organized in collaboration with the T. G. Masaryk Institute and Charles University to mark the centenary of Leopolod Hilsner’s conviction for ritual murder.

 

V. Projects

• Preparation of texts for a CD-ROM entitled "History of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia"

 

VI. Activities of the ORT centre

• JMP Home page - page extension, new layout, information updates
• CEC - staff assistance, layout proposals and preparation of cultural programmes
• Computer courses - preparation of syllabuses ("Basic Computer Work " and "Basic Work with the Internet") and a computer course for CEC staff
• Public services - access to the Internet and CD-ROMS (including CD-ROMS featuring children’s drawings), assistance provided in database searches for Holocaust victims (in person, or by e-mail)
• CD-ROM "History of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia" (graphics, layout)

b) Department of Jewish Studies and the History of the Jews

 

I. Conference participation, lectures and discussions

• Conference: "Preserving Jewish Archives as Part of the European Cultural Heritage" - Potsdam, report: "Archiv des Jüdischen Museums in Prague" (V. Hamáčková)
• Conference: "Jews and Moravia", Kroměříž (V. Hamáčková)
• Conference: "Jews in Bohemia" - Český Dub, report: "Tumult in Mladá Boleslav in 1666" (A. Putík )
• Conference: "Romanies: Past and Present", Prague (J. Šplíchalová)
• "Evakuierung und Befreiung", Museum des Todesmarsches, Wittstock , Germany (A. Franková and J. Šplíchalová)
• "Preserving Jewish Archives as Part of the European Cultural Heritage", Potsdam (lecture by J. Šplíchalová)
• A meeting of child survivors of the Holocaust in Prague (workshop on Terezín children’s’ homes led by A. Franková)
• Conference: "The Phenomenon of the Holocaust", Prague and Terezín (A. Franková and J. Šplíchalová), report: "The Theme of the Holocaust in Czech Schools" (L. Pavlát)

II. Media and publication projects

• A special live broadcast from the Pinkas Synagogue was prepared by Czech Radio 3 (Vltava) in co-operation with the JMP on 16 September 1999. This programme, entitled "Every person has their own name" was a memorial service for Bohemian and Moravian Jews who died in the Shoa. From 6 to 10 in the evening, 300 invited guests read out the names of 3,000 Bohemian Jews - some of the nearly 80,000 who died during the war. Among those who took part were President Václav Havel, members of the Czech Government and Parliament, foreign ambassadors (including the German Ambassador Hagen Lambsdorff, the Israeli Ambassador Erella Hadar, and the US Ambassador John Shattuck ), celebrities and prominent figures from the world of culture, and Holocaust survivors. The JMP prepared lists of selected transports and names, and JMP staff took part in a discussion on the theme of the Shoah, which was also broadcast live. (A. Franková, L. Pavlát)
• Preparation of material for the radio programme "Righteous Among the Nations"
• Czech Television documentary film made by P. Štingl "O zlém snu" ("A Bad Dream") (provision of facsimiled archive documents)
• Newspaper interview in which was discussed the Holocaust of Czech Jews (France, Germany)
• "Friedl and the Children of Terezín" (Los Angeles - consultation and provision of facsimiled documents for exhibition cataloguing)

 

III. Publications

• Editorial preparation of the XXXV/1999 edition of the journal "Judaica Bohemiae" (A. Putík )
• Editorial preparation of the JMP guide "History of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia - From Emancipation to the Present" (V. Hamáčková)

c) Collection Department

 

I. Participation in conferences and lectures

• Training for tour guides – Immigration Museum, Melbourne, Australia (M.Hájková)
• Specialist exhibition tours for members of the Jewish Community of Prague and the international women’s group WIZO (E. Kosáková)
• A series of lectures on Czech Jewish painters and sculptors in the JMP’s Cultural and Educational Centre - H.Steiner-Prag, A. Justitz, R. Guttmann, F. Zelenka, J. Bauernfreund, E. Nemes, J. Kars, E. Orlik , B. Feigl (A. Pařík )
• Lecture on the reconstruction of Jewish monuments in the Czech Republic, at a conference on Jewish monuments in the Jewish Museum of Paris, January 1999 (A. Pařík )
• Opening of an exhibition of work by J. Hampl in the Franz Kafka Gallery (A. Pařík )

 

II. Media and publication activities

• Television and radio interviews to mark the Viktor Munk exhibition (A. Pařík )
• Article published in the magazine Atelier on the work of Viktor Munk (A. Pařík )
• A history of the Jewish Community of Tábor for a book about Tábor published by Augusta (A. Pařík )
• Television and radio interviews to mark the opening of the exhibition "Genizot"; press conference (A. Pařík )

8. Cultural activities

a) Cultural events at the JMP’s Cultural and Educational Centre

The JMP’s Cultural and Educational Centre organized a total of 120 cultural programmes and events. Over a half (53) consisted of lectures, both as part of a series and on separate topics. Programmatic series included "The Jewish Year", "Jewish painters and sculptors in Czech art", "Prominent Rabbis" and "Czech Jewish authors in 20th century literature. The Centre was also the venue for 14 film screenings, 19 concerts, 4 theatre presentations, 1 book presentation, 5 exhibition openings, 3 press conferences, and 6 evening concerts of Israeli songs organized by "Bejt Praha".

Worthy of a special mention is the commemorative evening in memory of Holocaust victims that took place in September 1999 in the Pinkas Synagogue (in collaboration with the Jewish Community of Prague and Czech Radio Vltava). The event also included two panel discussions in the Educational and Cultural Centre, entitled "Why didn’t they defend themselves?" and "Art in extreme circumstances".

b) JMP participation in trade fairs

• Participation in the 5th International Book Fair "Book World 99" in Prague, 20 - 23 May 1999. The JMP featured a joint display with the Terezín Initiative Foundation.
• Participation in the "International Book Fair in Frankfurt am Main", 13 -18 October 1999. The JMP featured a joint Czech display.

c) Music in the Spanish Synagogue

On 20 March 1999 a concert was given in the Spanish Synagogue by the world renowned cantor Joseph Malovany, who was accompanied by the Czech organist Jaroslav Tůma. This performance marked the launch of a regular series of "Music in the Spanish Synagogue", organized by the Dana Drtinová Agency. This series included concerts by distinguished classical music performers (soloists and chamber ensembles) from both the Czech Republic and abroad. The series ended on 31 August 1999. From 1 September 1999 the Spanish Synagogue was either hired out for individual concerts (on 8 September, for example, a performance was given by the Kocián Quartet quality as part of the String Quartet Festival, and on 20 October there was a performance by László Fekete as part of the 1999 Musica Ludaica Festival) or used as a venue for concerts organized by the Cultural and Educational Centre (on 8 December 1999, for example, there was Jana Lewitowá’s "Sephardic Inspiration").

9. Publications and retail activities

a) JMP publications and souvenirs

• Journal "Judaica Bohemiae" (XXXIV), (500 copies)
• Set of 4 postcards featuring the Spanish Synagogue (12,000 copies)
• Catalogue for the exhibition in the Spanish Synagogue, "History of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia, from emancipation to the present" - in English. (5,000 copies)
• Four issues of the Czech-English "JMP Newsletter" (2,000 copies each)
• JMP information brochures to accompany museum entrance tickets - English (300,000 copies), German (100,000 copies), French (100,000 copies), Italian (100,000 copies), Czech (65,000 copies), Spanish (65,000 copies) and Hebrew (65,000 copies)
• New Year’s greeting cards (1,000)
• Catalogue brochures to accompany short-term exhibitions: "Viktor Monk - Faces and Figures" (Czech-English), "Murder in Polná" (Czech-English), "Genizot - Findings in Bohemian and Moravian Synagogues" (Czech-English)
• Postcards - drawings by Terezín children (a series of 16, each with 3,000 copies)
• Wedding cards (4,000)
• "I haven’t seen a butterfly around here" - re-edition in English (5,000 copies)
• re-edition in German (2,000 copies)

b) Contributions in other publications

• "The Conservation and Restoration of Synagogues and Jewish Cemeteries in the Czech Republic" - Jewish Heritage Report, Vol. II, Nos.3-4. 1998-1999 (A. Pařík )
• Czech Radio Vltava - participation in the discussion series "As if they hadn’t even lived here with us" (L. Pavlát), and "Those who survived" (L. Pavlát, M. Pojar)
• Czech Radio Radiožurnál - participation in thematic programmes focused on Jewish festivals and the history of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia (L. Pavlát)
• Contributions detailing JMP activities and events in daily newspapers, on the Prague Jewish Community radio programme "Shalom alejchem", and in the Federation of Jewish Communities monthly "Rosh hodesh" (L. Pavlát, A. Pařík , M.Pojar, O. Sixtová)

c) JMP retail areas

• The JMP leases three retail areas - in the Maisel Synagogue ("Museum Stores"), Klausen Synagogue ( "Roman Tympl"), Spanish Synagogue ("Relax Group") and Maisel Street (The Precious Legacy Stores). These outlets offer a wide range of publications and souvenirs connected with the JMP in particular and Jewish topics in general.

10. Archives and documentation

a) Archives and documentation of Jewish Communities

• Ongoing processing of acquisitions and assessment of purchase offers
• Regular inspections of depositories
• Research services: 132 research visits, 27 literature searches and replies to written queries, and approximately 90 consultations.
• Facsimileing of archive material for research and publication purposes
• Launch of a review of the Sheet Music collection

b) Catalogue of Jewish Communities (computer database)

• Ongoing supplementation of the database on the basis of J. Fiedler’s personal card index; editing of encyclopaedic entries devoted to individual communities. There were 100 research visits and approximately 200 consultations (including contact by mail and by telephone).

c) History of the Holocaust

 

I. Documentation on the persecution of the Jews

• The Terezín Archive Collection - new arrangement, including appropriate inventory adjustments (237 inventory numbers, 42 boxes of archive documents), supplementation and copying of the inventory registry, broad arrangement of documents from the economic department (26 boxes of archive documents)
• The Gideon Klein papers - commissioning of inventory translation, supplementation of copies of music scores kept in the Terezín Archive Collection, negotiations with the Gideon Klein Foundation
• The Photography Collection - new documenting and sorting of approximately 150 photographs, ongoing revision and supplementation of individual positives, cataloguing of section IV (concentration camps, ghettos, prisons), collation of negatives and positives from the Auschwitz Album
• The Reminiscences of Holocaust Survivors Project - Compilation, study and transcription of 46 new reminiscences, ongoing digitization of data
• Acquisition of archive documents - arrangement, stocktaking, storage (150 acquisitions, individual documents and groups of documents)
• Prints - revision and arrangement of post-war magazines with anti-Semitic and Nazi content in the reference library
• Research services (66 research visits)
• Replication of rare archive documents by scanning and laser printing - Terezín children’s poems and approx. half of Gideon Klein’s scores
• Literature searches (Auschwitz and the Auschwitz Album, Hagibor Camp, confiscation of Protectorate Jewish property, death marches in West Bohemia, Terezín SS command, the war-time Central Jewish Museum, the Holocaust of Pilsen Jews, room 28 in house L 410, transports to Malý Trostinec, Zentralstelle and Auswanderungsfond, Terezín composers, Gideon Klein)
• Consultations - notably for students and young historians, also for the Swiss Fund (lesser known Nazi camps)
• Routine correspondence (206 letters)
• Issuing of copyright, notably for the publication or setting to music of Terezín children’s poems (10 permits)
• Photographing of selected names of Holocaust victims inscribed on the walls of the Pinkas Synagogue.

 

II. Computer database of Holocaust victims

• Bohemian and Moravian Jews:
• Correction and supplementation on the basis of newly acquired data
• Preparation of lists of victims based on their last addresses (Moravské Budějovice, Tábor, Šatajovice, Prčice, Kardašova Řečice, Jihlava, Roudnice, Březnice, Vizovice, Nymburk , Jistebnice, Netolice and 39 localities in the West-Prague district)
• Preparation of data relating to transports of children born in Terezín, families and individuals (approx. 150 lists)
• Checks on the correct determination of families - collation of basic material for amendments and additions in the Pinkas Synagogue

11. Collections

 

a) Collection Department

 

I. Terezín Collection

• Preparation of location lists and computer transcription of the collection of children’s drawings
• Digitization of the collection of children’s drawings - completion of the whole project, producing 3 complete series of 83 CD-ROMS, which contain about 7,000 impressions of all the drawings with a 300 dpi, 1:1 resolution, classified in numerical order based on inventory numbers and with supplemented data on the artists and drawings. Such data is currently being added to the new database of JMP collections (as of 30 November 1999, there were 1,119 filled-in cards, including pictorial data).
• Launch of the systematic digitization of drawings by adults from the Terezín ghetto, completion of approx. one fifth of the most extensive series of drawings by Karel Fleischmann.

 

II. Art collection

• Re-storage of collections of artists’ drawings and graphics
• Preparation of location lists and computer transcription of the above units
• Establishment of a study
• Broad division of the art collection according to subject matter
• Cleaning of the central depository and adjoining areas
• Purchase of works by R. Piesen (2 drawings and 4 etchings – artists’ prints, M. Fingensten (14 graphics - lithographic ex libris), B. Feigl ( 2 paintings - oil on canvas: "Dalmatian Landscape" and "Self-Portrait", B. Havránek (1 drawing and 1 painting - "The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague"), G. Karse (1 oil on canvas - "Lanscape Still-Life" and 5 drawings), J. Hahn (14 drawings) and R. Guttman (diary)
• Completed storage of artists’ collections of drawings and graphics in the depository of the Pinkas Synagogue.
• Continued restoration of the art collection - notably a set of paintings by Richard Pollak -Karlín and a set of paintings that have been loaned on a long-term basis for display in representation room of the Prague Jewish Community; commissioning of the restoration of a set of cardboard works by Hilda Pollaková, to be completed in 2000.

 

III. Textile collection

• Launch of a project to digitize photographs of the collection of Torah mantles - preparation of approx. 1,800 items out of a total of 4,200, the remaining photographs to be digitized in 2000.
• Preparation of a subsidiary photographic archive of the textile collection (approx. 600 photographs), in which were placed, sorted and classified all the existing positive photographs of curtains from JMP collections; photographic documentation of curtains stored in a textile depository outside Prague and in the Maisel Synagogue. The majority of the holdings in the textile depository outside Prague have therefore been processed and the actual condition of the objects recorded. Photographic documentation covers a significant part of the curtain collection (approx. 1,600 items)
• Cataloguing of textile items from genizot
• Ongoing storage of data in the Collection Department’s database (mantles, valances)
• Assistance to 5 researchers
• Application with the Czech Ministry of Culture for 6 textile items to be classified as a national treasure
• Filing of 3 grant applications with the Czech Ministry of Culture
• Sorting of a set of synagogue covers the transfer of small covers to a Prague depository
• Storing of cushions, large valances and wings in new containers, all relevant data being stored on a computer
• Replacement of protective mantle covers
• Storing of historical banners in the Prague depository

 IV. Textile restoration workshop

 

• Preparation of a set of textile items for the exhibition "Genizot, Findings in Bohemian and Moravian Synagogues" (48 items, 2 of which were restored externally, the rest in the workshop)
• Repair and treatment of 154 textile items from the JMP collection for permanent and short-term exhibitions and for depository storage
• Continued conservation and classification of textile items returned from individual religious communities
• Inventorying and storage of a set of textiles from genizot, after being cleaned and catalogued
• Selection and cleaning of 171 items of large covers, followed by photographic documentation and re-storage
• Involvement in the photographing of curtains in a textile depository outside Prague; replacement of mantle covers and re-storage of large valances, wings and cushions
• Photographic documentation and re-storage of the set of clothing
• Selection and treatment of objects to furnish the renovated Old-New Synagogue
• Selection of textile items for external restoration - 41 items were restored and conserved
• External conservation of 500 phylacteries
• Preparation of new covers for banners, subsequently stored in the Prague depository
• Participation of conservers and restorers in a specialist seminar in Seč

 

V. Metal collection

• Re-storage in the Prague depository of the collection of eternal lights, pewter objects and Sabbath lamps
• Transfer of fragments to the Prague depository
• Placing in new storage areas in the Prague depository of shofars, phylacteries and leather objects
• Photographic documentation of collection items from part of the Prague depository; checking of local lists
• Preparation of the first part of the collection of Torah pointers (280 in total) for digitization, in addition to cataloguing and determining of authorship
• Purchase of 8 collection items
• Ongoing storage in the JMP’s database of information relating to items being prepared for exhibition
• Commencement of a list of manufacturers of items made of precious metal, focusing on the collection items of highest quality

 

VI. Metal restoration workshop

• Conservation and restoration of 72 silver, brass and iron objects
• External restoration of 10 wooden objects
• Participation of conservers and restorers in a specialist seminar in Seč

 VII. Collection Department documentation

 

• Conclusion of 99 loan agreements, 29 of which for exhibition purposes (9 agreements with foreign institutions, 20 with Czech institutions, including Jewish communities). 120 collection items were loaned to institutions abroad, 344 to institutions in the Czech Republic.
• Conclusion of 58 work agreements with external restorers
• Conclusion of 9 agreements for the purchase of art works from individuals
• Recording of 321 items (338 collection objects) in the Acquisition Book - 151 purchases, 27 donations (including 3 bequests), and 143 items transferred from Jewish communities in Prague, Teplice, Liberec, Brno, Pilsen and Ostrava for stocktaking purposes
• Commencement of a revision of the main arithmetic catalogue for the purpose of checking and supplementation - linked to the Museum’s computer database and to be followed by checks on special catalogues.
• Completion of the preparatory stage of an extensive project involving the scanning of the German Catalogue. Individual catalogue volumes were unbound, and catalogue cards were restored, scanned in the JMP’s photographic department and rebound in groups of 500 inventory numbers. The scans of war-time catalogue cards will be added to appropriate inventory numbers as part of the JMP’s database, which means that all information on a particular item will be concentrated in a single place. This project is of great importance with regards both the registration and collation of data on collection items and the use of state-of-the-art information technology. In view of the size of the catalogue, the project will be spread across a number of years.
• Launch of a project involving the transcription of material from the German Catalogue onto lists which are later to be compared with collection items, in terms of quality and quantity. The project aims to ascertain the actual condition of both the collection sets and the second degree cataloguing of individual bindings of items. The German Catalogue currently forms the basis for the preparation of lists of collection items according to specific areas in Bohemia and Moravia, from which they were sent to the war-time Central Jewish Museum.
• The JMP’s collections were enriched by 27 donations. The generous donors were:

- Dr. Petr Plačovský
- Arnoštka Makovcová
- Marie Remešová
- Dr. Robert Bardfeld
- Yean Landau
- Anna Šerclová-Rosenbaumová
- Erika Vaisová
- Vlasta Krejcarová
- Lenka Knížková
- Zdeněk Valenta
- Dr. Drahomíra Kožmínová
- Renée Řežábková
- Maria Bartnitzki
- The Jewish Community of Prague

 VIII. Photographic archive

 

• Establishment of the foundations for a computer database, containing all the material from the photographic archive; ascertaining of material that has yet to be sorted
• Archive enlargement: new photographic documentation - over 7,000 negatives
• Visits from 25 researchers; literature searches for a further 22 researchers, institutions and individuals; issuing of 60 permits for use of JMP pictorial material for print, publication, educational programmes and exhibitions. The most extensive projects involved the creation of a set of photographs for the Terezín Memorial and the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington
• Launch of CD-ROM archiving
• Processing of photographs by Karel Bedřich Fišer, who documented the life of the Prague Jewish community from the 1970s to the 1990s.

 IX. Photography and scanning

Photographic studio

• Proposal for a technical solution (in collaboration with the depository staff) for the complete photographic documentation of curtains, stored in the JMP’s textile depository outside Prague
• Photographic documentation of the Jewish cemetery in Brandýs nad Labem (documentation of approx. 200 gravestones out of a total of 500)
• Ongoing photographing of collection items, objects for local and foreign JMP exhibitions, and collection items transferred from Jewish communities and genizot outside Prague
• Ongoing documentation of all JMP activities and major events
• Provision of colour slides for JMP publications and specialist activities, for researchers and for the professionals and the general public
• Ongoing documentation of inscriptions in the Pinkas Synagogue
• Ongoing documentation of building work being carried out in renovated JMP properties and in selected properties of former Jewish religious communities
• Preparation of 8 photographic images of the Spanish Synagogue for postcard form (4 were selected for print)

Digitization

Opening in January of a separate digital photography workplace and in September of a scanning workplace; training of all JMP staff at the photographic studio. Both these units provide services for other JMP departments in the production of digital image data for CD-ROMS for the purposes of researchers, exhibitions and press releases (including the provision of external press). The digital workplace operates its own digital archive and collaborates with the photographic archive when selecting archive images.

 

• Digital photographing

Approximately 300 photographic copies were taken for the catalogue to accompany the exhibition in the Spanish Synagogue (including pre-print preparation) and stored on CD-ROMS.

Photographic copies were taken for the brochure and invitation card for the exhibition "Genizot, Findings in Bohemian and Moravian Synagogues" (including pre-print preparation).

Approximately 300 collection items were documented on separately prepared CD-ROMS.

Work started on the complete documentation of the collection of Torah pointers. 150 pointers were digitally photographed (300 shots). The images were prepared for the JMP database and press releases.

Loaned archive material from various institutions in the Czech Republic were digitally photographed for the new exhibition in the Maisel Synagogue and stored on a CD-ROM.

 

• Scanning workplace

Work started on the scanning of the war-time German Catalogue. 5 volumes (250 cards) were scanned and stored on a CD-ROM.

450 drawings by Karel Fleischmann were scanned and stored on a CD-ROM.

90 images from the diary of Helga Pollaková were scanned and stored on a CD-ROM. 

 

X. Supervision of repair and reconstruction work

• Supervision of the reconstruction of the Old-New Synagogue: completion of the interior, plastering and flooring, restoration of the stone sections (January - February)
• Supervision of the repair of fittings in the Old-New Synagogue: light fittings, sconces and metal elements, wooden fittings, esp. benches; supervision of interior installations (January - March)
• Consultations concerning the extension of the Jewish cemetery in Fibichova Street: demarcation of the burial area, negotiations with an architectural firm concerning the location of the cemetery wall, cemetery regulations, premises for the warden, design of the fence and bars (July - December)

b) Department of Jewish Studies and the History of the Jews

 I. Collection of manuscripts and early prints

• Cataloguing of collections (list of original owners), preparation for digital processing of catalogues
• Conservation and restoration of endangered manuscripts and rare prints
• Production of individual boxes for rare prints and manuscripts
• Preparations for moving the holdings to new premises
• Preparations for establishing a conservation and restoration workplace in the JMP’s new premises
• Production of 8 facsimile manuscripts and rare prints for permanent exhibitions
• Consultation with researchers and implementation of literature searches
• Collaboration with the Arts Faculty of the Charles University on the grant project "List and Description of Hebrew Prints"

 

II. Collection of written material from genizot

• Examination in the genizah in Holešov Synagogue
• External restoration of manuscripts and prints found in genizot
• Cleaning and conservation of textile finds in the JMP workshop
• Preparation of exhibits to be displayed in the Winter Prayer Hall of the Spanish Synagogue
• Completion of a catalogue of manuscripts and prints found in genizot

12. Library

 

a) Statistics

• Attendance:
  registered researchers: 525
  new researchers: 92
• research visits: approx. 700
• Book loans: total: 730
• short-term (to JMP staff):420
• When assessing the above data it is necessary to take into consideration the fact that the library holdings in Dušní Street were moved in Spring 1999 to rented space in the Central Depository of the National Library in Hostivář (see g). The transfer of 75% of the library holdings available to researchers meant that the public loan period had to be restricted.
• Acquisitions:
  books: 1,600 (approx. 300 of which for the Cultural and Educational Centre)
  periodicals: 25
• CD-ROMs:1
• Photocopies:for research purposes

b) Routine agenda

• Acquisition of new books
• Replenishment of the holdings with earlier publications
• Acquisition of dissertations and diploma work on Jewish topics
• Filing and cataloguing of books, periodicals and special documents
• Consultation and reference services
• Xerox services
• Loan services (including reservations)
• Inter-library loan service
• International inter-library loan service
• Discarding of books
• Purchase, filing and preparation of publications for the Cultural and Educational Centre

c) Participation in events

• Training:
• "Aleph System - Acquisition" (National Library, Prague)
• "Aleph System - Systematic Training" (Ex Libris, Prague)
• "Correspondence Course" (Institute of Information and Library Studies, Prague)
• "AACR2 cataloguing" (Institute of Information and Library Studies, Prague)
• Seminars:
• "Libraries for the Next Millennium" (Association of Librarians and Information Studies Staff, Prague)
• "Librarians of the Present" (Association of Libraries, Seč u Chrudimi)
• "Seminar for Employees of Museum Libraries" (Museum of Glass and Bijouterie, Jablonec nad Nisou)
• "Domestic Acquisitions" (State Scientific Library, Kladno)
• Conferences:
• "Historic and Rare Collections, 16th-19th Century" (Komenský Museum, Přerov)
• "Issues relating to Historic and Rare Collections from Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia" (State Scientific Library, Olomouc)
• "The Hilsner Affair and Czech Society, 1899-1999" (The Cultural and Educational Centre of the JMP, Prague)
• Trade fairs:
• "World of Books 99", Prague
• "Book Fair in Frankfurt am Main"
• "Prague Antiquarian Book Fair"

 

d) New organisation membership

• The European Association for Jewish Studies

 

e) Specialist visits and consultation in the JMP Library

 

I. Czech Republic

"Ztichlá klika" antiquarian bookshop and gallery, Prague

• The National Library, Central Depository, Prague-Hostivař

• The National Library, Automation Unit

• The State Central Archive

• The Prague City Library

• The National Museum

• The National Library

• The Higher Technical School of Information Services

• "Znamení čtyř" architectural practice

• Climatologist Ing. Červenák

 

II. Abroad

• J. Hlaváčová - Pestalozzi Bibliothek , Zurich
• V. Leininger - M. Buber Institut fur Judaistik , Koln
• Nachsen - Haifa, Israel

f) Automation of library processes

 

• Aleph:module cataloguing of new acquisitions

amendments to converted records

• launch of work in the Acquisition Module
• creation of a database for the storage of Hebrew documents
• system upgrade (to version 330.05)
• opening of the Aleph OPAC search module and multimedia encyclopaedias on CD-ROMs for JMP staff and the general public in the library
• collaboration with Dr. Kotrba from the National Library for unix-Aleph support
• consultation with the National Library
• Internet:
• Creation of an internal web page with references to selected institutions which collaborate with the library

 

g) Work with the library collection

• Transfer of 50,000 volumes from the library depository in Dušní Street to rented space in the Central Depository of the National Library in Hostivař. Despite the temporary nature of the move, the holdings were safeguarded and the majority remained accessible for research purposes
• Transfer of 30,000 volumes to newly created storage space in the Brandýs Synagogue. The books were mechanically and chemically cleaned during removal, the holdings were shelved and safeguarded
• Completion of the inventory control of the JMP staff reference libraries (41 libraries and 1,560 publications, 1,450 of which prepared for the Aleph system), preparation of an inventory report
• Complete restoration measures (50 books, mostly from the historic holdings of the library, were treated externally)
• Minor repairs (50 books were treated externally)
• Emergency repairs (cleaning of volumes and implementation of minor restoration measures): approx. 600 volumes were treated in the depositories. Protective covers were made for select copies
• Emergency repairs and mechanical cleaning of books bequeathed by Dr. O. Muneles

13. Computer network

 

a) General hardware and software backup for PC users

• Purchase of 8 new computers, including Windows 98 operating systems and 8 MS Office 97 user programmes. All software and hardware is duly registered. Users are continually trained in the use of new programmes
• Membership in the Association of Museums and Galleries means that the JMP is connected to the MS Select 4.0 programme, which enables the JMP to purchase Microsoft software at a very reasonable price.

b) Local network extension

 

• Further extension of the local network ; incorporation of a graphic studio, which in conjunction with the photographic studio forms a practically separate part of the network . The network communicates at a speed of 100MB/s, its operation does not burden the rest of the network . In total, 44 of the 61 computers are connected to the network .

c) Electronic mail and the Internet

 

• All JMP staff connected to the local computer network have access to e-mail, which is widely used. They also have full access to the Internet. Connection is provided by a commuted line via a modem and server. A new version of the SW communication was installed, making other services available for users (FTP, Telnet, RA proxy)

 

d) Museum digital archive system

• Purchase of a new server for the Museum Database Archive System (MDAS), on which was installed a new version of MDAS, which was updated several times and continually supplemented with data
• Completion in Autumn 1999 in collaboration with the firm "X-media" of the first stage in the creation of software for the Museum database, connected to the SMART version II. The JMP prepared the basic material for this version and added to the existing database.

e) Aleph library system

• Signing of a service agreement with the SUN Microsystem company, which will guarantee hardware supervision of the server with the Aleph library system
• Installation of a new version of the Unix operating system; purchase of a new version of the Aleph programme; purchase of a licence for multi-user work in Aleph

f) Computer anti-virus checks

• Expiry of the licence for the TBAV anti-virus programme; purchase of a two-year licence for the related FSAV programme, which enables central control of anti-virus checks throughout the network from a single computer.

 

g) Millennium Bug

• Checks on the computer network s preparedness for the Millennium Bug, with special focus on older computers and computers in the finance department, where all programmes were upgraded to versions that guaranteed preparedness for the Millennium Bug. The JMP server was similarly upgraded.

14. Technical and construction projects

a) Refurbishment

I. The new office building

• Complete refurbishment of properties at 141 and 153, U staré školy, Prague 1. Work involved:vacating of buildings demolition
• completion of accompanying studies and layout design
• construction of new offices, specialist workplaces, restoration workshops, library depositories, security office, new storage areas, public areas (exhibition hall, information centre), restoration facilities

 

II. The Maisel Synagogue

• New-furnishing of all depositories of the Collection Department
• Improved ventilation for existing exhibitions
• Installation of air-conditioning equipment in the depositories
• Installation of equipment designed to keep pigeons away from the facade
• Completion of the ventilation system in the main nave
• Alterations to the building’s ventilation system

 

III. The Jewish Cemetery in Fibichova Street

• Contractual assumption of management
• Completion of survey work and preparation of the final proposal studies for the extension of the cemetery
• Preparation of project documentation on alterations
• Maintenance - load-bearing walls, existing railings
• Commencement of work connected with the maintenance of greenery

 

IV. The Synagogue in Brandýs nad Labem

• Installation of new electrical connections
• Completion of the renovation project and securing of the construction permit
• Partial renovation of the roof
• Alterations to the second and third floors for book storage
• Alterations to the surrounding area and pavement
• Heating and overall cleaning of the attic area
• Locking of the whole building
• Installation of an electric security system and electric fire alarms

 

V. The Ceremonial Hall

• Heating of the attic area
• Installation of regulated heating in the exhibition areas
• Anti-spray coating on the stone facade

 

VI. The Spanish Synagogue

• Final inspection of the new boiler room
• Alterations to the attic ventilation system
• Anti-spray coating on the facade
• Alterations to the basement for improved ventilation

 

VII. Maiselova 15, Prague 1

• Adaptation of newly acquired areas for the selling of tickets and souvenirs and for the purposes of the JMP’s Cultural and Educational Centre
• Establishment of a new JMP ticket office
• Installation of an electric security system and electric fire alarms

 

VIII. The Klausen Synagogue

• Improved ventilation system
• Installation of regulated heating
• Treatment of plastering in the basement
• Roof repairs
• Exchange of the central heating boiler for that of the Reservation Centre

 

IX. The Old Jewish Cemetery

• Maintenance of pathways, removal of the asphalt surface, gravelling and new drainage
• Coating of the metal fence
• Cleaning of the eaves and drainpipes of all adjoining buildings
• Maintenance of greenery
• Pruning of trees

 

X. The Synagogue in Prague - Smíchov

• Rented to PSJ Holding
• maintenance
• roof repairs
• facade repairs

 

XI. Maintenance

• Wall repairs and painting in all JMP properties prior to the commencement of the tourist season

b) Integrated security system

• The LENIA company continued with the complete installation of the integrated security system in JMP properties. In view of the fact that the contractors were not able to keep contractual requirements, a proposal by the SIEZA company for the use of a different system was accepted. After agreement by all the participating parties, it was decided that LENIA will continue to implement that part of the project for which it is competent, and that SIEZA will be responsible for the radio transmission of alarms. SIEZA carried out a pilot project which demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed system. The completion date is set for 2000.

15. Prominent visits

January

• Marita Ulvskog, Swedish Minister of Culture, accompanied by representatives of the Jewish Community of Stockholm
• Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice-Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (USA) with his wife

 

March

• Delegation of the North American Boards of Rabbis, led by Rabbi Jay Y.Rosenbaum

 

July

• Nane Annan, wife of the UN General Secretary Kofi Annan
• Thomas Langley, Ambassador of the South African Republic to the Czech Republic

 

September

• Sherwin Kaufman, grandson of the famous Yiddish writer Sholom Aleichem, with his wife and Sidney Gluck , the President of the Sholom Aleichem Memorial Foundation (USA)
• Goran Persson, Prime Minister of Sweden

 

October

• Kakuhan Enami, representative of the Patriarch of the oldest Buddhist School in Japan
• Efraim Kishon, Israeli humorist

 

December

• Prof. Amos Luzzato, President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities

16. Sponsors’ donations

 

a) From abroad

• The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation (USA)
• The Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture (USA)
• The Rich Foundation (Israel)
• A.R.Veith, Miami (USA)
• Rita Spiegel, California (USA)
• The Open Society Fund (USA - Czech Republic)

 

b) From the Czech Republic

• Komerční banka Praha

17. Donations provided by the JMP

• Certain funds were provided for humanitarian purposes and for events related to Jewish topics and the fight against racism and anti-Semitism:
• The Rainbow Movement (Duha) - for the Fight Against Racism Project
• The People in Need Foundation (Nadace Člověk v tísni) - for humanitarian assistance to refugees from Kosov
• The Jewish Community of Olomouc - for the reconstruction of the Synagogue in Úsov
• The Czech National Film Archive - for a film festival on subject matter from the work of Franz Kafka
• European Council of Jewish Communities - for humanitarian assistance to refugees from Kosovo
• SEFER, s.r.o., publishing house for the Czech Federation of Jewish Communities - for the publication of "Paměti židovského extrémisty" ("Memoirs of a Jewish Extremist) by Yossi Klein-Halevi

Leo Pavlát
Director of the JMP

Attachments: information about economy JMP

BALANCE SHEET
(in thousands of k )
	As of 31. Dec. 1998	As of 31. Dec. 1999
PERMANENT ASSETS	65.963	84.305
Intangible fixed assets	1.725	1.283
Tangible fixed assets	64.238	83.022
Financial investments	0	0
CURRENT ASSETS	129.696	104.565
Inventories	4.248	4.351
Receivables	34.850	18.696
Financial assets	90.598	81.518
OTHER ASSETS	465	931
TOTAL ASSETS	196.124	189.801
OWN SOURCES	88.258	134.521
Funds	54.499	88.065
Economic results in current accounting period	33.759	46.456
EXTERNAL RESOURCES	107.597	55.070
Short-term commitments	41.242	35.070
Provisiones	66.355	20.000
OTHER LIABILITIES	269	210
TOTAL ASSETS	196.124	189.801

PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENT
(in thousands of k )
	As of 31. Dec. 1998	As of 31. Dec. 1999
REVENUES	199 203	200 321
Sales of goods and services	6 460	4 995
Sales of entrance fee	115 108	117 554
Subsidies	2 276	0
Recognition of provisions	35 586	56 355
Other revenues	39 092	21 417
OPERATING COSTS	148 444	131 132
Expenditures on realized sales	51 511	40 044
Personnel costs	24 691	29 042
Depreciation	8 649	11 768
Other operating costs and provisiones	63 593	50 278
INCOME TAX	17 000	22 733
ECONOMIC RESULT	33 759	46 456

Jewish museum in Prague employee structure
In 1999, the Jewish museum in Prague had an average of 85 employees (part-time workers consolidated).
Museum management	4
Employed experts	51
Building protection	16
Support and other activities	14

Repairs and reconstructions of buildings (in thousands of k )
Building	1995-1998	1999
Spanish synagogue	32.646	47
Administration and Research Centre	2.299	31
Maisel synagogue	11.221	793
Pinkas synagogue	3.950	64
Ceremonial hall	1.812	0
Klausen synagogue	5.438	44
Depository of textiles	2.152	0
New Administration and Research Centre	7.145	24.949
Education and Culture Centre	354	0
Old Jewish cemetery	3.822	615
Total	70.839	26.543