180th Anniversary of the Ckyne Synagogue

On 17th May 2008 quite an outstanding event was taken place in the Ckyne synagogue. After more than one hundred years a divine service returned there, the Shabbat afternoon Mincha led by the cantor of the Liberec Jewish Community Michael Foršt, and Julius Müller, a member of Bejt Simcha , the liberal Prague Jewish Community (Michael is the member too). The former winter pray room was nearly full by mostly young people. And they watched breathlessly the Hebrew language and really willing commentary; at the same time it was spoken openly about everything that accompanied the Judaism, as well as about everything that weight it down.
Among the ten men required for the Torah reading Mr. Alex Woodl was asked as the first one. He arrived from the USA to donate ten thousand dollars for the synagogue. His delight was great, he was allowed to do that after more than fifty years; but then even
a woman – his niece Mrs. Rebecca Woodl was invited!
However nobody can imagine the surprise and happiness of Mr. Jan Podlesak and mine – Jindra Bromova, when our names were heard… There are no Jewish men in the whole South Bohemia – nobody survived the holocaust - and so the words said by Julius were: “This is not about religion, this is about people!”
Well, we stood up and came to the Torah and completed the ceremony and we both experienced the strength of tolerance, and gratitude as well – Jan devoted all his life for preservation of the Ckyne Jewish cemetery, I fell in alongside and we have been “struggling” for the new life of the Ckyne synagogue since 1991.
Other open words were stated by the pastor of the Czechoslovakian Hussite Church, Vladimír Valí?ek, he was just 88!
And then we all could listen to a real musicianship Michael Foršt and Victor Bytchek, bajan virtuoso, simply took us somewhere far above the ground. And in the meanwhile Michael was speaking about lights inside us, and these lights were sent by him to the past, to Jewish ancestors, to all those victims of violence; and to the present victims of wars and terrorism, to the world without love and acceptance, he sent hope to Israel, too.
Everybody had tears in their eyes when leaving, so who did not have to, stayed at the laid tables prepared by the Ckyne Municipality outside the synagogue, under a beautiful lime tree. To share the experiences, to talk between Ckyne and America; between the Jews and Christians, a man and a man.
On the other day we remembered the ancient settlement of the Jews in Ckyne, their fate; and the history of the synagogue, maybe hopeful future, and in his speech Mr. Podlesak committed to memory all the people who gave a hand or money for the renovation of the cemetery as well as the synagogue. He said thanks to Mr. Alex Woodl for his donation, too. Alex then stated in his speech a history of a Ckyne Jewish family now scattered widely all over the world. Then he gave another cheque to Jan for his commitment but he refused it immediately for him and gave it over for the Ckyne Jewish cemetery.
In the unremitting rain we walked to the cemetery, where the requiescat chimed for the martyrs of the Ckyne and Vimperk regions; their names and fates were read out. Seven doubled candles were burning below two lists of names, the words of a poet Pavel Nozar went along with the words of psalms. Let the fates of these innocent victims remain the last!

Jindra Bromová
Assosiation for the Renovation of the Ckyne Synagogue
www.synagoga-ckyne.cz

photo http://www.mymlevymokem.cz/material/foto/akce/ruzne/vyroci_synagoga/index.htm