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Radnice 4, 789 85 Mohelnice

Activities and programs in 2008

Building of the museum display and library

in the Usov synagogue

Preparation, installation and opening of the permanent museum display in the Usov synagogue. The museum includes a study and library with historical books from 18 – 19^th century, contemporary literature and DVD programs on several topics – Jewish History, Holocaust, Jewish art and culture, Jewish traditions, Anti-Semitism etc.

All books and artifacts on the display (including a 19^th century scroll of Torah and decorated Torah mantels etc.) came from the collection of the Foundation for Respect and Tolerance (Mostly courtesy of Janet and Stanton Canter Family Trust).

Museum Display and Library - total cost: over 320 000 Czech Crowns (17 800 USD)

Management of the museum and library

in the Usov synagogue

The Foundation for Respect and Tolerance organized educational and cultural programs in the synagogue and ensured the all year around access to the museum for visitors and students.

Educational programs and lectures for adults and students

RT Foundation prepared programs and lectures for following institutions: Elementary school Klopina, High school Troubelice, Palacky University in Olomouc, Silesian University in Opava, Art School Olesska in Prague, Unicov College, Museum Mohelnice, Lostice Art School (Festival of Jewish culture Nine Gates), Association of Czech-German Understanding in Moravska Trebova, Moravska Trebova College, etc.

Meetings and materials for foreign students and teachers

Students of international course Kivunim (Israel); College of Informatics in Cesena (Emilia Romagna region, Italy - in cooperation with Maria Donati); Haskalah Conference: Field Trip to Usov and Lostice - prepared for Jewish history scholars attending the International Conference on Haskalah organized by the Palacky University in Olomouc (Field trip prepared by Respect and Tolerance Foundation in co-operation with the Department of Judaic studies (UP Olomouc).

Exhibitions

Synagogue Lostice: There Once Was a World; Museum Mohelnice: History of Jewish Community in Mohelnice; Mirov Church Gallery: Torah from Mirov Prison.

Textbook re: Teaching Jewish History in elementary Schools

Cooperation with Zdenka Micova on preparation of the text on teaching the Jewish history in elementary schools. Based on Respect and Tolerance programs and prepared as the dissertation for the Faculty of Pedagogy in the Masaryk University in Brno.

Books for Palacky University in Olomouc

Dr. Stanton Canter Library

There are well over a thousand books in the Respect and Tolerance library and Dr. Stanton Canter Library in the Palacky University in Olomouc. In 2008 after the consultation with the Jewish Studies Department another 200 books were selected and transferred to the university library. Most books were donated by Janet and Stanton Canter Family Trust.

Meeting with the Israeli Ambassador in Prague

Dr. Stanton Canter, Janet Canter and Ludek Stipl – founding members of RT foundation were received by the Israeli Embassador in Prague - Jaakov Levy. Mainly past and future activities and cooperation were discussed with the ambassador and his staff.

Cooperation with Czech TV

Foundation Respect and Tolerance participated in a preparation of four programs which were broadcasted on a nation wide television network CT2:

History of Synagogue and Jewish Community in Lostice

History of Synagogue and Jewish Community in Usov

(Both in cooperation with J. A. Haidler),

Stained Glass Windows from the Olomouc Synagogue, which was destroyed by Nazis in 1939 (part I and II).

Clouds above Barrandov

Presentation re: History of Czech Movie Industry during the Nazi occupation. Prepared and presented in cooperation with the Czech foremost investigative reporter Stanislav Motl (TV Nova). Mohelnice Civic Hall.

Restoration of Stained Glass Windows

from the Olomouc Synagogue completed

Stained Glass Windows from the Olomouc synagogue, which was destroyed by Nazis in 1939, were found and acquired by RT Foundation. The full restoration was completed in July 2008.

Total cost of restoration: 159 000 Czech Crowns (8 800 USD).

Cooperation with press

20 articles based on materials and information discovered by RT were published by Czech newspapers eg:

Project about Holocaust fights against extremism (Denik, January 28)

Children saw a Torah (Denik, May 16)

Synagogue Saved (MF Dnes, June 9)

Permanent Exhibition in Usov Will Be Used For Cultural and Educational Functions (Denik, June 10)

Ludek Stipl, coordinator of Respect and Tolerance (Prager Zeitung, June 26)

Students from Israel visited Lostice and Usov (Denik, April 11)

Grants and Awards

Foundation for Holocaust Victims: 100 000 CZK (5 500 USD)

Project: Restoration of stained glass windows from the Olomouc synagogue.

Czech-German Foundation for the Future: 80 000 CZK (4 400 USD)

Project: Translation, printing and publishing the book Hours of Devotion.

Town of Lostice Award: 15 000CZK – (850 USD)

Project: Translation, printing and publishing the book Hours of Devotion.

Olomouc County: 100 000 CZK (5 500 USD)

Project: Building of the museum display and library in the Usov synagogue.

Foundation of Jewish Community in Prague: 40 000 CZK (2 200 USD)

Project: Building of the museum display and library in the Usov synagogue.

Janet and Stanton Family Trust: 480 000CZK (27 000USD)

Congregation Hakafa Trust: 55 000CZK (2 815 USD)

STUNDEN DER ANDACHT – HOURS OF DEVOTION

A prayer book for Jewish women Hours of Devotion was published for the first time in the Czech language by the Foundation Respect and Tolerance

In 1854 Fanny Neuda - wife of the rabbi Abraham Neuda - wrote this important book of prayers in our region - in the town Lostice. Her book originally titled: Studen der Andacht (Hours of Devotion) is quite significant, because it was the first of its kind to be written in German by a Jewish woman for Jewish women. Soon it became a best seller, translated to several languages and published in more than 30 editions. In 1866 it was translated into English. (Published several times in New York and Cincinnati between 1866 and 1899). The modern German edition was released for Jewish women living in the Nazi Germany (Frankfurt, 1936) and reissued after the war during 1950s and 1960s in Switzerland.

The new enlarged English edition was recently prepared by Dinah Berland (editor of Getty Publications, Los Angeles) and published by Schocken Books (New York) in August 2007.

A number of the prayers written by Fanny Neuda appeared also in A Jewish Woman’s Prayer Book (Tefillat Nashim), which was prepared by dr. Aliza Lavie (Bar-Illan University) and published in Hebrew (Jerusalem: Yedioth Ahronoth, 2005) and in English (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2008).

The first edition of Fanny Neuda’s Hours of Devotion in Czech language was prepared and published by the Foundation Respect and Tolerance

in November 2008.

Title: Hodiny zbožnosti

Translation and commentaries: Jaroslav Achab Haidler

Biographical information: Ludek Stipl

Financial assistance: Czech-German Foundation for the Future,

Town of Lostice, Janet and Stanton Canter Family Trust, Hakafa Congregation.

Total cost of translation, printing and publishing: 160 000CZK (8 900USD)

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Dr. Aliza Lavie is organizing the panel “Fanny Neuda”, which will be part of the Fifteen World Congress of Jewish Studies (Jerusalem, August 2009)

RespeCt and Tolerance

Concert of Choirs Carmen and Primavera

Usov synagogue, June 2008

Museum display and library

Usov synagogue, 2008

Students of the program Kivunim from Israel visited Jewish sites in Usov and Lostice. One of them was Jesse Berkson. His grandmother Edith Carter was born in 1914 in our region and had many relatives in Lostice. She survived the Holocasut and presently lives in USA.

Lostice synagogue, April 2008

Photo: Denik, Stanislava Rybickova

Educational and art programs – students of the Prague Olesska Art School

Usov synagogue, July 2008

Theater play Chana, Drama Group of the Bouzov High School

Lostice synagogue, June 2008

Educational programs - students from the Klopina

Elementary School

Jewish cemetery in Usov, May 2008