Public reading of the names of Holocaust victims - Yom HaShoah
The „Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day“, in Hebrew „Yom Hazikaron laShoah ve-LaG‘vurah“ (יום הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה ) is one of the days of commemoration for the victims of the Holocaust. Initially, it was suggested to hold it on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw ghetto uprising (14th Nisan/19th of April, 1943), but since this date is very close to Pesach, it was decided to hold it on the 27th Nisan instead. In Israel, this day is a state holiday.
In the Czech Republic Yom HaShoah only gained importance after 1989. At first, commemorative ceremonies were set up for the members of the Jewish community. Those commemorations are held to this very day in Terezín and at Pinkas synagogue in Prague.
In 2006, the Union of Czech Jewish Youth (Česká unie židovské mládeže) started a public ceremony in Prague. Everyone can participate and read out the names of those, who fell victim to racist persecution during WWII. Year by year, more cities from the Czech Republic participate in this form of public commemoration.
Note: Hyperlinks will lead to parts of our website, which may not yet have been translated to English. The pictures and videos you will find there, though, might give you an impression of the commemoration.
Yom HaShoah 2019
In 2019, Yom HaShoah will take place in 21 cities in Czech Republic on May, 2nd. For the first time, there will be a public reading held in Karlovy Vary, Mikulov, Nýrsko Prostějov and Teplice.
Yom HaShoah 2018
Held on April 12th, 2018 in 16 Czech cities: Prague, Brno, Olomouc, Liberec, Sušice, Kolín, Kutná Hora, Plzeň, Havlíčkův Brod, Ústí nad Labem, Klatovy, for the first time in Horažďovice, Lipník nad Bečvou, Mělník, Sedlčany (together with Kosova Hora, participating since 2017) and Ústí nad Orlicí.
Yom HaShoah 2017
Held on April 24th, 2017 in 13 Czech cities: Prague, Brno, Olomouc, Liberec, Sučice, Kolín, Kutná Hora, Plzeň, Havlíčkův Brod, Blatná and, for the first time, in Ústí nad Labem, Kosova Hora and Klatovy.
Yom HaShoah 2016
Public readings of the names of victims of the Holocaust took place on May 5th, 2016, in 11 Czech cities: Prague, Blatná, Brno, Havlíčkův Brod, Kolín, Kutná Hora, Liberec, Liteň u Berouna, Olomouc, Plzeň and Sušice.
Yom HaShoah 2015
On April 16th, 2016, Yom HaShoah took place for the tenth time in Prague, for the second time in Brno, Kolín, Kutná Hora, Liberec, Olomouc and Sušice.
Yom HaShoah 2014
On April 28th, 2014, Yom HaShoah took place for the ninth time in Prague. For the first time, public readings were held also in Brno, Kutná Hora, Liberec, Olomouc and Sušice.
Yom HaShoah 2013
On April 8th, 2013, the 8th public commemoration of victims of the Holocaust took place on náměstí Míru in Prague.
Yom HaShoah 2012
On April 18th, 2012, on náměstí Míru in Prague the names of victims of the Holocaust were read out in public for the 7th time.
Yom HaShoah 2011
The sixth time of public commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust on náměstí Míru in Prague took place on May 2nd, 2011.
Yom HaShoah 2010
April 11th, 2010 on náměstí Míru in Prague.
Yom HaShoah 2009
April 21st, 2009 on náměstí Míru in Prague.
Yom HaShoah 2008
April 30th, 2008 on náměstí Míru in Prague.
Yom HaShoah 2007
April 15th, 2007 on náměstí Míru in Prague.
Yom HaShoah 2006
April 25th, 2006 on náměstí Míru in Prague.
You can also visit
Yesterday, together with the participants of the seminar and excursion Bergen-Belsen on the Threshold of Freedom, we attended a reception at the British Embassy in Prague on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp by the British Army on 15 April 1945.
Anne Frank and thousands of others. We visited the place where the fate of one of the world's most famous stories came to an end, as well as that of countless of others. The Bergen-Belsen camp was burned down after the war, but one can still hear echoes of the past. How can we learn about the horrors that have gone to ashes?
Yesterday, we welcomed Director Denise Quistorp and Sebastian Halbauer from the Austrian Cultural Forum in Prague to our premises at Jáchymova to exchange views on our respective activities and projects. This gave us the opportunity to identify common priorities in our work and to further strengthen Austro-Czech exchange through future cooperation.
This week we received a visit from Ms Krejcova (Foreign Culture of Lower Austria) and Mr Halbauer from the Austrian Cultural Forum Prague, where we were not only able to present the work of the ITI, but also make personal contacts. We were able to discuss many topics that overlap with the work of our three institutions in order to promote Austrian-Czech exchange.
The MA Theater would love to cordially invite you to the Prague premiere of the theatre play Address Unknown, based on the 1938's best selling book by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor. The MA Theater's performance is taking place on the 28th of January at 7:30 PM at Divadlo Na Prádle, Besední 487/3, Prague 1. The play is performed in English.
You can learn more about the play here or in the attachment.
The year is 1933. Two childhood friends, the German Martin Schulse and the Jew Max Eisenstein, bound by student fraternity in Germany and then a gallery business in America, are now separated by the Atlantic. Max continues the Schulse-Eisenstein Galleries in San Francisco, while Martin and his wife and young children move back to native Germany.
Letters fly back and forth, from the Bavarian mansion, across the ocean, to San Francisco, to dear Maxel, and others are sent back to dear Martin. They are full of tenderness, common memories, and hope for Germany's happy future...
Direction: Marianna Arzumanova
Cast: Mario Baas, Jiří Valeš, Eva Alner
The original script, direction, scenography and soundtrack are work of Marianna Arzumanova, the director and founder of Prague's Theatre MA. The show premiered on 18th July 2022 in Verbier, and was shown again in London, New York, Geneve and Schloss Elmau, starring world-renowned pianist Evgeny Kissin and baritone Thomas Hampson.
From December 6 to 8, 2024, we hosted the seminar Antisemitism and Us in Terezín for teachers and peer educators from the Anne Frank Youth Network (AFYN). The event was organized in collaboration with European Practitioners against Antisemitism (EPNA), and with support from the German Federal Foreign Office.
Program and Key Speakers
The seminar offered a rich program focused on how to teach about antisemitism and the Holocaust in a way that has a tangible impact while avoiding unintended antisemitic outcomes. We were honored to welcome outstanding speakers:
- Tomáš Kraus, who guided participants through the authentic environment of the Terezín ghetto, sharing his family’s stories to enrich the educational experience.
- Jakub Drábik, who gave a lecture titled What is Fascism?, exploring its origins, manifestations, and methods of prevention.
- Peter Weisenbacher, who presented FRA research and additional data on how antisemitism is perceived and experienced by members of the Jewish community in Slovakia.