The second life of Jewish quarters in the Czech Republic
A major milestone in the life of the Jewish Quarter was World War II. After that, some Jewish communities in our country were briefly restored, including Boskovice, but after the waves of migration in 1948 and 1968, most of them disappeared. Today, there are only 8 of the Jewish communities in the Czech Republic: Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Pilsen, Olomouc, Liberec, Karlovy Vary and Ústí nad Labem. As Tomáš Pěkný writes in his book History of Jews in Bohemia and Moravia in 1993, “3,500 Jews lived in the Czech Republic, most of them, about a thousand, in Prague. It is perhaps the same number as in the first days after their arrival in the Czech lands. "
The Czech Republic lost a number of valuable Jewish monuments during the Holocaust and four decades of communist rule. Compared to other countries, however, it did not turn out the worst and a large part of them could be saved. To date, around 200 synagogues and 370 Jewish cemeteries have been preserved, which is a respectable number. These monuments are owned by some of the Jewish communities, the Czech republic Federation of Jewish townships or cities, churches and private owners. Boskovice is one of the best-preserved Jewish city districts, thanks to today's suggestive and sought-after form of the Festival for the Jewish Quarter, that has belonged to the city for almost 30 years.
Ten Stars project
Boskovice, together with other Jewish quarters, participates in the Ten Stars project, which covered the reconstruction of monuments connected with their active cultural and educational life. Permanent thematic exhibitions are installed in the repaired buildings, lectures, concerts, screenings, theater performances, etc. are held here. This creates an opportunity to get acquainted with Jewish history and Judaism in a unique concept and authentic environment. The buildings are also open to activities of a wide focus and serve as a meeting place. In the case of Boskovice, it is the Jewish community house in which you are currently located.
The other nine stars are Brandýs n / Labem, Březnice, Jičín, Krnov, Mikulov, Nová Cerekev, Plzeň, Polná and Úštěk.
In the vicinity of Boskovice there are several interesting places connected with Judaism, for example in the nearby city Svitávka you can see two beautifully renovated Löw Beers' villas.
Unijazz
Since the end of the 1980s, civic activities have been created in Boskovice aimed at saving the Jewish quarter, which was in danger of complete liquidation. The first impulse to organize a cultural festival came from a group of young people from the Prostor association, who turned to the Unijazz association for cooperation. As a result, since 1993, a several-day summer festival has been held regularly in Boskovice in cooperation with a number of local organizations. The event, with the original subtitle "for the preservation and restoration of the Jewish quarter", aimed to draw the attention of the media and the general and professional public to the existence of this architectural uniqueness and its unhappy state. Every year, several thousand visitors take part in the festival, who have the opportunity to get to know Boskovice, its monuments and history, as the festival takes place throughout the city.
In the photo, we can see a T-shirt made for the festival in 1999, deposited in our museum.
Unijazz 2019 in our museum - a sculpture in the passage
Unijazz 2019 in our museum
Unijazz 2019 in our museum
A programme of the festival in 1995
A round pottery pendant with inscription Boskovice 93, made for Unijazz in 1993
