This year marks the 80th anniversary of the transports of more than 2,600 Jews from Pilsen, who went to concentration camps in three transports. More than 200 of them lived to see the end of the war. Representatives of the Jewish community in Pilsen traditionally commemorate the sad anniversary with a memorial event in the Old Synagogue in Pilsen. Together with them, the Vice President for Culture and Heritage Marek Ženíšek and the Councillor for Tourism, Partner Regions, External Relations and Business Support Marcela Krejsová also commemorated the tragic event on Sunday, 23 January 2022.
The fates of the Goldscheider family, of whom only the brothers František and Jan survived the hardships of the war, are recounted by František’s son Alexandr Goldscheider in his book ‘Cílené náhody’ (Targeted Coincidences).
“I think it is very important to remember the individual fates, because these specific stories help us to realise much more what people were capable of in the middle of the 20th century – what horrors they committed. When we commemorate them, there is a certain hope for all of us to be able to pass on this information to the next generation and never forget them,” said Vice President Marek Ženíšek. The gathering was closed with a prayer by Chief Rabbi Karol Efraim Sidon.