Guided tour of the permanent exhibition of Little Mehrin
Guided tour of the permanent exhibition Malý Mehrin Tuesday, 27 January at 6 p.m. At the end of the month, we have prepared another guided tour of our permanent exhibition on the history of Jewish communities in Moravia with a new guide, which will take place on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Historian Táňa Klementová will guide you through the exhibition, presenting selected stories of Moravian Jewish families and commemorating their cultural legacy and tragic fate during the Holocaust. Come with us to honour the memory of the victims and learn about the unique history of Jewish communities in Moravia. Admission is voluntary.
Georg Placzek – The Odyssey of a Nuclear Physicist from Brno
Georg Placzek – The Odyssey of a Brno Nuclear Physicist Tuesday, 20 January at 6 p.m. A native of Brno and world-renowned physicist Georg Placzek (1905–1955) was not only a witness to, but also an active participant in many events and discoveries that symbolise the dawn of the atomic age, with many consequences for our post-war history and the present day. In a lecture by Aleš Gottvald, CSc., a long-time employee of the Academy of Sciences, we will take a closer look at the novelistic life journey of Georg Placzek as a leading internationally established theoretical physicist, as a member of a remarkable Jewish-Moravian industrial family with a tragic wartime fate, and as a colourful personality highly respected among his renowned colleagues. Admission is voluntary. source: Ben Skála, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Contemporary anti-Semitism: Anti-Zionism
Contemporary anti-Semitism: Anti-Zionism Tuesday, 13 January at 6 p.m. Following the attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, we are witnessing a powerful new wave of anti-Semitism. This time, it takes the form of attacks on the State of Israel, Zionism, Israelis and Jews around the world. „Traditional“ right-wing anti-Semitism has been joined by left-wing anti-Zionism, which often rejects the label „anti-Semitism.“ What does contemporary anti-Semitism look like? What language, visuals, narratives, and methods does it use? Lecture by Terezie Dubinová, PhD, cultural scientist and Hebrew scholar, author of books including Women in the Bible, Women Today, Roots of Female Spirituality, How to Teach About the Holocaust (e-book), How to Fix the World: Conversations with Inspiring Israelis. Admission is voluntary. Franz Kafka as a Traveller and Sportsman Tuesday, 3 December at 6 p.m. Franz Kafka's original stories inspire readers around the world. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of the famous writer, who is usually presented as someone who was sick and sad. Apparently, he enjoyed nothing but writing. In reality, Kafka's life was much more interesting. Journalist Judita Matyášová and photographer Jan Jindra visited 70 places across Europe where Kafka spent his holidays or went on business trips. They discovered that he was interested in modern technology, was a fan of healthy living, and enjoyed sports. Journalist Judita Matyášová will recount her detective-like search for authentic Kafka locations. The lecture will include excerpts from the new book S Kafkou na cestách (Travelling with Kafka), published this year by Matyášová and Jindra with Labyrint, in which they describe their more than twenty-year search for traces of the famous writer. More about the project: www.cestyfranzekafky.czVstupné voluntary.
How is the Festival of Lights celebrated?
Thursday, December 11 at 6 p.m. Anyone who knows a little bit about Jewish holidays will surely know right away which holiday the talk with practitioner Judita Kopotova will be devoted to. It's Hanukkah, the eight-day Feast of Lights, which commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem... Wondering why it lasts eight days and what is prepared in Jewish households for meals on these festive days? Is this holiday still celebrated the same way today? Judith is pleased that visitors' questions also inspire her to provide information that might not otherwise be available. Come for light Hanukkah refreshments and conversation about an irreplaceable holiday in the Jewish calendar. Admission is voluntary.
White Crow
The White Crow Tuesday, December 2 at 6 pm The title of this discussion is the same as the documentary film by German director Carolin Ott, who made it about the turbulent life of Max Mannheimer, a native of Nový Jičín. He went through several concentration camps and emigrated to Germany after the war. Despite his experiences, he enjoyed life, never complained about anything and dedicated his life to ensuring that the horrors of the Shoah would never be forgotten. The life of Max Mannheimer and his descendants has also been the subject of research on the transmission of Holocaust trauma by ethnologist Eva Kalousová. The discussion with her will be led by Eva Kopečková, with whom Max had direct family ties. Admission is voluntary.
Guided tour of the permanent cellar exhibition in the Little Mehrin on Vienna Street
Guided tour of the permanent cellar exhibition in Malý Mehrin on Vídeňská Street Wednesday 19 November at 5 pm Guided tour of the permanent cellar exhibition in Malý Mehrin on Vídeňská Street, this time with our lecturer of educational programmes for schools Eva Kopečková. The tour will be accompanied by details about Jewish customs and Jewish identity, and a frequently asked question will be explained: Jew or non-Jew?Admission is voluntary.
How do you search for the past? Where is the evidence of the Jewish inhabitants, the transports and their fate during the war preserved?
How do you search for the past? Where is the evidence of the Jewish inhabitants, the transports and their fate during the war preserved? Monday, November 10, 6 p.m. The lecture will offer an overview of the main sources and databases on the history of the Holocaust in the Czech lands and show how historians piece together the stories of individuals and communities. You will learn where to look for archival documents, photographs, personal testimonies, and how valuable materials from family archives are. Jana Šplíchalová, historian at the Jewish Museum in Prague, will also share her research experience for the preparation of exhibitions. Another lecture from the accompanying offer to the ongoing exhibition Voices. Admission is voluntary.
The Revisionist Movement in Moravia
Revisionist Movement in Moravia Monday 3 November at 6 pm Brno is not Prague, it is not Vienna, but it is not Mukachevo either. It is somewhere in the middle. And so, thanks to migration to the West and the personality of Oskar Rabinowicz, it became the political center of the New Zionist Organization and its scouts called Betar, radical Jewish nationalists better known by the popular name of Revisionists. The Revisionist movement, generally regarded as radical right-wing and fascist, formed at the dawn of World War II into an underground organization offering especially the young their last hope for salvation. After the creation of the state of Israel, led by left-wing socialists, the revisionists fell into silence and oblivion. At Martin Šmok's lecture you can learn more about the Revisionists in Moravia. Admission is voluntary.
White Places of Jewish Moravia and Slovakia - conference
The White Places of Jewish Moravia and Slovakia - Conference 29 March 2026 in BrnoMUNI, Komenský nám. 2, Sir Roger Scruton Meeting Room No. 300Welcome to the historical conference on Moravian-Slovak overlaps in European Jewish history, which will offer insights into the mutual relations, cultural and religious ties and various historical events that have shaped Jewish communities on both sides of the border over the centuries. Contributions may focus on existing research and the naming of white spaces in the following areas, for example:- business and family ties between Moravian and Slovak Jewish communities;- the movement of rabbis, scholars and students between the two regions;- cross-border marriages, families and businesses between Moravia and Slovakia;- the influence of Moravian Jewish communities on religious life in Slovakia and vice versa;- the linguistic and cultural identity of Jewish communities;- flight and hiding 1938-1945;- stories of families divided by the border;- reconstruction of Jewish communities after 1945 and 1989;- cultural heritage and joint projects - synagogues, cemeteries, museums, educational activities, memorial sites; - possibilities of joint research and digitization of the Jewish heritage of Moravia and Slovakia, the role of archives and museum institutions on both sides of the border. The meeting should not only contribute to the professional debate, but also inspire further cross-border research, museum projects and educational initiatives linking Moravia and Slovakia. Please send your paper proposals with a brief annotation (up to 300 words) to muzeum@malymehrin.cz by 20 December 2025. You will be notified of their acceptance at the end of January together with the publication of the final programme. We look forward to seeing you together!
7 October 2023 and its impact on the geopolitical map of the Middle East
October 7, 2023 and its impact on the geopolitical map of the Middle East Thursday, October 23 at 6 pm Two years after the tragic Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, the geopolitical map of the Middle East has fundamentally changed. The so-called Axis of Resistance, led by Iran and its allies - Palestinian Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemeni Houthis - has weakened considerably; the post-regional region remains unstable and potentially very dangerous. The main problem remains the unresolved situation in the Gaza Strip and the absence of a vision for a comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. What impact have the events of the last two years had on the Middle East and world politics? And what prospects can be expected for the future? These and other questions will be answered in her lecture by Eva Taterová, historian and Middle East expert from the Institute for Contemporary History of the CAS.