Dear all who are interested in the activities of our Association. As there finally was no time for some formal speeches, please allow me to send you Alex's one in this way at least.
Ckyne Synagogue Re-Dedication
It is an honor for me to be heretoday together with four Wudl cousins from Austria and the United States.We are the great great grandchildren of Jeremias Wudl who lived in Ckyne from 1830 until his death in 1866.This is my fifth trip here and I can honestly say I felt right at home driving into town the other day.
Fifteen years ago, I had never heard of this town. While doing research, I founda nineteenth century Hamburg passenger record for a Wudl from Ckyne. My friend and colleague Randy Schoenberg, fourth great grandson of Ckyne’s rabbi, helped me to confirm my great grandfather’s birthin Ckyne from a copy of the birth register.
In 2000I met Jindra Bromova and Jan Podlesak for the first time here. I also met Julius Muller and Achab Haidler. By the end of the day, I had learned not only about my family, but I visited an abandoned synagogue in poor shape, but with a new roof. And a restored Jewish cemetery thanks to the Herculean efforts of Dr. Podlesak and a group of dedicated volunteers. I returned home committed to helping these new friends complete their wonderful efforts.
Today we celebrate those efforts. This has been a community wide project with business and religious leaders and ordinary citizens involved. Throughout this restoration, Jindra Bromova has been a steady, tireless and persistent force. She has unselfishly stopped in the middle of her busy life to take perfect strangers from faraway places to visit the cemetery and synagogue. Her great enthusiasm,positive outlook and strong leadership have contributed greatly to the success of this project.
The Jews of Bohemia have a thousand year history. The Jews of Ckyne are gone, but the restoration of this synagogue celebrates their culture and their history. Descendants of Bohemian Jews are reconstructing their families through the efforts of archivists such as Lenka Matusikova andgenealogical researchers like Mr. Julius Muller.Jan Podlesak, Vaclav Chvatal and Achab Haidler are very special too. They have devoted hundreds of hours documenting and restoring Jewish cemeteries of a people who worked and lived here for centuries.
I can never thank all of you enough for all the wonderful gifts or mitzvahs you have bestowed upon the Wedeles, Lederer, Lewith, Fantes and Wudl families by saving this wonderful building for future generations.
Alexander Woodle Groton, Massachusetts USA
October 2013
