Ing. Karel Holomek Dr. Artúr Grünzweig Bedřiška Felixová Věra Weberová Erika Juklová Doris Grozdanovičová Prof. RNDr. Eva Smolková Ing. Michal Salomonovič Keulemansová, DrSc. Brigadier General Ing. Pavel Fried Academic Painter Prof. Ing. Felix Kolmer, DrSc. Pavel Vranský Helga Hošková, Dr.hc The Annual Report is illustrated by the portraits of Holocaust/Shoa survivors made by Jindrich Bauxbaum. The eye-witnesses also shared with us their message. Table of Contents 1. Forewords of the Chairman of the Board of Directors ...16 2. Mission Statement and Activities ........................................17 3. Grant Programmes ..................................................................19 4. Care Programme ......................................................................20 5. Remembrance Programme ....................................................22 6. Renovation Programme .........................................................26 7. Future Programme ..................................................................29 8. Our Future Sub-Programme .................................................33 9. Projects of Our Own ..............................................................35 10. Grant of the Ministry of Culture ..........................................39 11. Financial Report .......................................................................41 12. Auditor’s Statement ................................................................45 13. The Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board ........46 14. Employees .................................................................................50 15. Our Donors ...............................................................................51 16. Basic Data .................................................................................55 3 Ing. Karel Holomek survived as a hidden child with his two- -year-younger sister “To serve a good thing and fight evil, always and in all circumstances! That is the only way to preserve one´s mental health, which is, especially these days, quite fundamental.” Dr. Artúr Grünzweig survived the concentration camp in Wiener Neustadt “Father, mother and then six-year-old sister, Zuzana, died in the concentration camp in Auschwitz in 1944. I returned to my native village of Vlčany (now Slovak Republic) from the harsh environment of the camp both mentally and physically exhausted. For a long time, I actively helped some racially persecuted people to return to normal life. As an eternal optimist, I firmly believe that the democratic forces in the world will not allow extreme forces to continue with the policy of hatred and racial and ethnic orientation in the future.” Bedřiška Felixová survived the Terezín Ghetto “I wish no one would ever experience the horrors that we went through.” Věra Weberová survived the Terezín Ghetto “We will never be able to stop the time and every year, in the ranks of the witnesses, there will be more and more empty spaces. It has never been easy for me, and with age it's even harder for me – both physically and mentally – to tell others, particularly young people, what I had to go through and who of my dear ones I lost. Nevertheless, when I see the attentive eyes during my discussion forums in the Czech Republic and abroad, and hear the questions of the students and their teachers, I feel that it makes sense. I perceive that this is perhaps for all of us who are still alive, something like a duty. So, if it is at least a bit possible, I will keep doing so...” Erika Juklová survived the camps in Auschwitz-Birkenau and Buchenwald Allendorf “I do not wish to anyone to ever go through the Holocaust experience. Well, perhaps just to those who really want to hurt us. Baruch hashem, I'm a contented and cheerful personality. I have a good family, the best family in the world. I regularly visit the Old-New Synagogue and I am grateful to my uncle, Major Ph. Arnošt Friedmann, and the Czech Republic, that I can live in this country.” Doris Grozdanovičová survived the Terezín Ghetto “I am often invited to schools in our country and in Germany, to tell students about my life based on historical events I went through. I sometimes wonder how little their awareness of the history of their country and their ancestors is.” Prof. RNDr. Eva Smolková Keulemansová, DrSc. survived the Terezín Ghetto, concentration camps in Auschwitz- -Birkenau, Hamburg and Bergen-Belsen “I have been through sadness and suffering – but I also experienced lot of joy and goodness in my life. And, although people (humanity) seem to be incorrigible and unreformable, there is and still is a lot of beauty and friendship in the world that brings joy and strength to overcome the difficulties in life.” Ing. Michal Salomonovič survived the Lodz Ghetto, the camps in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Stutthof, and Flossenbürg in Dresden “Now, there are just a few of us who went through concentration camps, where we were just numbers with David's star attached to the prison uniform. We survived, and our duty is to communicate our experiences from the past, especially to young people, so that they never experience our destiny.” Brigadier General Pavel Vranský World War II veteran “I'm very glad I had such a brave mother that managed to get me, my father and my brother abroad ahead of time. Unfortunately, she herself bore the consequences for her deed and perished. All three of us strived to fight that everlasting evil, the anti-Semitism, that, in the Nazi Germany mutated into the arrant form – the extermina- tion of all Jews within its reach. Me and my brother, we both fought for freedom and destruction of the Nazi empire with the weapon in our hands and the father, due to his age, in the war industry. The result can be seen today, the Nazism was destroyed, but the anti-Semitism still exists in the world, whether latent or manifested, and it will probably never disappear. We must remain vigilant against this evil, and use all means and power to restrict it, if its complete elimination is not possible.” Ing. Pavel Fried survived the Terezín concentration camp “Shoah is not a tragedy of Jewish people only. Shoah is the tragedy of all mankind, the sanctity of human life ended in the Auschwitz gas chambers. For many years now, I have been visiting the discussion forums to talk about the Shoah, about the ways that led to it, about the guilt and the punishment. When I count all the visitors to those forums, I come to the total estimate being over 6000. What I find very encouraging is that, over all those years, I have not met any interfering or negative response from the audience. I have experienced the contrary – clear interest, curiosity and compassion. That gives me the strength to continue in that.” Academic Painter Helga Hošková, Dr.h.c. survived the Terezín Ghetto, camps in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Freiberg and Mauthausen “Value the freedom, protect life and preserve cultural values and nature. Learn and do not repeat the mistakes of the past.” Prof. Ing. Felix Kolmer, DrSc. survived the Terezín Ghetto, and camps in Auschwitz-Birkenau and Friedland “Every human should assign himself to do something for the society. Otherwise, our culture, and later also our society, will slowly collapse. One cannot only take, one also has to give.” Forewords of the Chairman of the Board of Directors The Foundation for Holocaust Victims continued of funding provided, but also due to the fact – CZK20 million. Most of these funds were to fulfill its important mission in 2016. Helping that these contributions are a prerequisite for used for the restoration of Jewish monuments. Holocaust victims is the humanitarian role of the a co-financing of projects by other entities. The In addition, the FHV has still been distributing Foundation. We have allocated CZK4.5 million results of this long-lasting support are visible. the funds deposited into the fund upon its es- for this purpose, the money was distributed among During the time of the FHV existence, a lot tablishment, alongside with the means acquired 13 projects. In total, this aid has reached 350 peo- of successful reconstructions of deteriorating through its current work. ple – apart from direct survivors, the funds also synagogues have been done, many devastated supported their descendants. We have contributed Jewish cemeteries have been restored and an aid The FHV plays an irreplaceable role in all areas three million crowns to activities commemorating to many other monuments has been provided. in which the Foundation is involved. Due to the Shoah. Unfortunately, the political situation in low cost of its operation, the Foundation is able to today´s world and in our country is developing in The FHV supporting activities include a support use all of its resources on the activities for which way that we have to be reminded of the horrors of of the current activities associated with Judaism, the money is intended. Due to the qualified, the Holocaust now more than ever before. maintaining of Jewish cultural traditions and informed and flexible decision-making, the FHV development of Jewish communities. This category can effectively help where the aid would otherwise The FHV spends the largest sums of money on includes a support for projects fighting xenophobia be difficult to find. renovation and maintenance of monuments re- and anti-Semitism. The FHV budget supported lated to the life of Jewish community throughout a total of 38 projects with one million CZK. We I would like to thank the entire staff of the the territory of the Czech Republic.