friend in Europe today . To hear the Czech president , Miloš Zeman , and other political leaders , on the subject of Israel is to be reminded of steadfast friends willing to speak out .
In doing so , they carry on a remarkable tradition of friendship first epitomized by Tomas Masaryk . He was appalled by the Czech version of the Alfred Dreyfus affair , known as the Leopold Hilsner affair , which occurred in 1899 and involved a false accusation of ritual murder . He didn ’ t hesitate to speak out vigorously against this blatant antisemitic act . Later , as president , Masaryk became the first head of a modern state to visit Palestine and did so specifically to meet with the Jewish community there . No wonder there are a kibbutz and forest named after him in Israel .
He was followed by Edward Benes , the country ’ s second president , and Jan Masaryk , the son of Tomas and foreign minister in the 1940s , both of whom strongly advocated for the creation of a Jewish state . After the communist period ended , President Havel resumed this tradition , immediately reaching out to Israel and frequently speaking out against antisemitism .
To understand the uniqueness of this support — can any country match it both for passion and constancy ? — consider the words of Tomas Masaryk expressed in 1918 :
The Jews will enjoy the same rights as all the other citizens of our State … As regards Zionism , I can only express my sympathy with it and with the national movement of the Jewish people in general , since it is of great moral significance . I have observed the Zionist and national movement of the Jews in Europe and in our own country , and have come to understand that it is not a movement of political chauvinism , but one striving for the rebirth of its people .
Or those of Jan Masaryk , writing in 1942 as foreign minister of the government-in-exile :
Twenty-five years ago , the Balfour Declaration gave the Jewish people hope for the future . None of us could ever have dreamt then what was
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