ČUŽM – REBUILDING A JEWISH COMMUNITY
We, as the Czech Union of Jewish Students, were established in 1990 as a youth non-profit organization, which was supposed to play a crucial role in rebuilding Jewish life. After long decades of living under totalitarian regimes, young Jews were brimming with ideas and initiatives for possible projects. The Union has flourished since its early days.
The presence of Jews in the Czech lands goes back many centuries. There is evidence that Jews have lived in Moravia and Bohemia as early as the 10th century. Jewish communities flourished here especially in the 16th and 17th centuries, and again in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Until today, almost anywhere you travel to within Czechia you can find a remnant of Jewish heritage. However, the position of the Czech Jewish community was fundamentally changed by the tragedies of the 20th century.
Czechoslovakia was a neighboring country to Nazi Germany. We had a great number of German minorities, and „on behalf of Germans from Sudetenland“, Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1939 to 1945 as „Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia“. During WW2 Jews in Czechoslovakia were strongly affected by the Holocaust and a big part of Czech Jewish heritage was destroyed and lost.
After WW2, the Soviets gained power and Czechoslovakia became a Soviet satellite country in 1948. Czechoslovakia was a communist country, ruled by one party. In 1968 we were occupied again, now by the troops of the Warsaw pact. During communist times, the religious customs and cultural activities of young Czech and Slovak Jews were deliberately restricted by the state due to semi-official antisemitism under the regime.
Those two historical episodes had a major impact on assimilation and detachment of Jews from Jewish culture in Czechia. Thanks to the Velvet Revolution and the fall of communism in 1989, the Jewish community was finally free. However, we faced great challenges rebuilding the community. We were connected to the Slovak Union of Jewish Students, our sister organization, which we divided after the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993.
Nowadays, thanks to the Federation of the Kehilas, Lauder schools of Prague, ČUŽM and initiatives like Moishe House, Jewish life is slowly returning to the people and their communities. But some of the communities will sadly be lost forever.
Creating a Student Space
The goal of the union was to re-birth consciousness and expectations of the Jewish people, and to bring back Jewish life into the families through the youth. The Lauder schools of Prague, which are composed of kindergarten, elementary school and high school, play a similar role. However, they are for children until the age of 18-19. On the other hand, the Jewish communities, and synagogues and their activities are usually targeted for the older generation. Therefore, the role of ČUŽM was to fill the gap and provide the sense of Jewish community for the youth aged from 15 to 35.
The union organized celebrations for all the Jewish holidays, parties, educational seminars and even joint clean-ups of old Jewish cemeteries. We build on these projects and try to take them further.
Fostering Jewish life
Every year we organize a three-day long educational seminar, which takes place outside of Prague. I have to admit, given that the biggest Jewish community is in Prague, as well as the Jewish schools, Moishe House and other Jewish organizations, our major weakness is that we are very Prague-centered. That is why we consciously try to target Jews from other parts of the country. That is why for every seminar, we travel with our union members to another big city in Czechia. Together we celebrate shabbat, play games, explore local Jewish heritage and get to know the local Jewish community (if there is any).
Another key tradition we continue are the weekend clean-ups of old Jewish cemeteries. Every year we choose an old Jewish cemetery outside of Prague, to which we travel with our union members. For three full days we clean up, cut the grass, trim the bushes, and dispose of the weeds, among other things. This tradition is truly rewarding and meritorious. After three days of hard work the cemeteries are unrecognizable. This project is essential for preserving and restoring Jewish heritage, when there is no longer a Jewish community present.
Our biggest annual event is JudaFest. JudaFest is a festival of Czech Jewish culture and it is organized not only for the community, but for the general public as well. There are stalls and booths at the festival where exhibitors can present their projects with Jewish-related themes. The festival also includes lectures, workshops and concerts. The aim is to present Czech Jewish culture to the public and create a positive image of the Jewish community. We believe that through public relations like these, we offer activities that benefit the general public and we participate in inter-religious dialogues.
Challenges of the Future
Our activities were disrupted by the covid pandemic and the union could hardly organize any events. During this period, we lost most of our members and funding resources. After the pandemic, elections were held for the ČUŽM Board and a new executive body was appointed. We are now in our second year of trying to re-establish the union and provide a platform for young Jews interested in community life.
Not only do we continue the already established traditions, we also create our own initiatives. We try to actively cooperate with other Jewish organizations in order to network and unite the community.
Recently, the German student union from Baden Württemberg visited us in Prague for a joint weekend. We gathered together for Havdalah, got to know each other and organized an exceptional joint Passover event.
We are truly dedicated to our mission and try to use all resources available. Last year we were awarded “Developing Union of the Year” by the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS). We hope to continue our work successfully and to keep bringing young Czech Jews together. It is our great goal to motivate our members not only to participate in our activities, but also to initiate projects themselves and hopefully even motivate them to one day run for the Board of ČUŽM and assume our roles.
Emma Günsberger
noodnik.at 