in store for them . My Government and myself want to assure you of our deep sympathy and understanding . I personally shall never rest till human dignity is returned to those sons and daughters of Israel who will escape alive out of the Teutonic Beelzebub ’ s clutches . Palestine is almost the only star in the stormy sky of present-day iniquity .
Or those of President Benes , expressed in 1947 at a conference of European Zionist Federations in Czechoslovakia :
It will , first of all , be necessary to put a radical and permanent end to racism and antisemitism . At the same time , your aspirations for an independent homeland should be fulfilled . I regard the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine as the only just and possible solution of the world Jewish problem . I promise that whenever and wherever an opportunity offers itself , I shall help promote this solution .
Finally , antisemitism in the Czech Republic is not seen as a major problem today , certainly not in comparison with some other European countries . To the contrary , visiting Jews generally find a warm reception .
Even so , it ’ s impossible to ignore the gaping hole in the Czech landscape . Where once Jews were counted in the tens and hundreds of thousands , where once Jews were a major presence in the commercial , scientific , cultural , and civic life of the country , and where once Jews argued incessantly over religion , politics , and culture , today the Jewish community , despite its valiant efforts , is only a small sliver of its former self .
In the final analysis , there is something profoundly inspiring about witnessing the rebirth and renewal of a nation that endured the one-two punch of Nazism and Communism . And the reemergence of a Jewish community , in the very city where Hitler planned his museum of religious and cultural artifacts of an annihilated Jewish people , is testament to the determination of Czech Jewry to sustain its proud 1,000-year history .
Oh , I almost forgot . Remember the earlier reference to Daniel Kumermann , who , after signing Charter 77 , was subjected to countless arrests and interrogations ? Guess what became of him in this new era ? He was appointed the Czech Republic ’ s ambassador to Israel in 1999 . Miracles truly can happen .
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