Czech Republic & Slovakia

Entrance to the prison yard of the Terezin, or Theresienstadt, Little Fortress. 150,000 Jews were imprisoned in a ghetto nearby. The so called Little Fortress was for political prisoners. June, 1989 Czech Republic Terezin

Inside the political prison in Terezin's Little Fortress. 150,000 Jews were imprisoned in a ghetto nearby. The so called Little Fortress was for political prisoners. June, 1989 Czech Republic Terezin

On opening day of the Terezin Ghetto Museum. These people are pointing to names of the deported.During the communist period, there was no mention of the 150,000 Jews who were imprisoned here, and school groups only saw the Little Fortress, where political prisoners were held. Since 1990, when the administration of the memorial was put under Dr Jan Munk, several impressive galleries and musuems have opened throughout the former Nazi ghetto. January, 1970 Czech Republic Terezin

On opening day of the Terezin Ghetto Museum. These people are pointing to names of the deported.During the communist period, there was no mention of the 150,000 Jews who were imprisoned here, and school groups only saw the Little Fortress, where political prisoners were held. Since 1990, when the administration of the memorial was put under Dr Jan Munk, several impressive galleries and musuems have opened throughout the former Nazi ghetto. January, 1970 Czech Republic Terezin

Commemoration service at the River Eger in Terezin. From this spot, the Nazis poured the ashes of 25,000 Jews into the river in November 1944. March, 1989 Czechoslovakia Terezin

A child's stuffed animal in what was then the children's museum (for those children deported to Terezin) next to the Prague Jewish cemetery. December, 1984 Czechoslovakia Prague

Barracks in the Little Fortress of Terezin,which was for political prisoners. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Terezin

Entrance to the Little Fortress at Terezin, where political prisoners were held. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Terezin

Cemetery in front of the Little Fortress of Terezin. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Terezin

Entrance to the prison yard in Terezin's Little Fortress, where political prisioners were held. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Terezin

Hanukkah party in Prague. This was one of the few Jewish holidays tolerated by the govenment or the apparatchiks who ran the community, primarily because Hanukkah is not a religious holiday. December, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Hanukkah party in Prague. This was one of the few Jewish holidays tolerated by the govenment or the apparatchiks who ran the community, primarily because Hanukkah is not a religious holiday. December, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Hanukkah party in Prague. This was one of the few Jewish holidays tolerated by the govenment or the apparatchiks who ran the community, primarily because Hanukkah is not a religious holiday. December, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Hanukkah party in Prague. This was one of the few Jewish holidays tolerated by the govenment or the apparatchiks who ran the community, primarily because Hanukkah is not a religious holiday. December, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Hanukkah party in Prague. This was one of the few Jewish holidays tolerated by the govenment or the apparatchiks who ran the community, primarily because Hanukkah is not a religious holiday. December, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

The grave of Rabbi Judah ben Loew, the Maharal of Prague, in the Jewish cemetery of Prague. Before 1989, visitors were free to wander through this magical, sculpture-garden of a cemetery, but with 600,000 visitors per year coming in the 1990s, a strictly defined route was created. June, 1999 Czechoslovakia Prague

The grave of Rabbi Judah ben Loew, the Maharal of Prague, in the Jewish cemetery of Prague. Before 1989, visitors were free to wander through this magical, sculpture-garden of a cemetery, but with 600,000 visitors per year coming in the 1990s, a strictly defined route was created. June, 1999 Czechoslovakia Prague

A well-tended family plot in the Jewish cemetery of Brno. May, 1989 Czechoslovakia Brno

Some 10,000 Jews lived in Brno, the capital of Moravia, in 1930. Nearly all of those who had not left the country by 1940 were sent to the concentration camps. 1,033 returned at war's end. Most of those remaining left in 1948 and 1968. This synagogue, an excellent example of the interwar Czech modernist style called Functonalism, is rarely used today but is well maintained. May, 1989 Czechoslovakia Brno

Jewish cemetery in Brno. Some 10,000 Jews lived in Brno, the capital of Moravia, in 1930. Nearly all of those who had not left the country by 1940 were sent to the concentration camps. 1,033 returned at war's end. Most of those remaining left in 1948 and 1968. This synagogue, an excellent example of the interwar Czech modernist style called Functonalism, is rarely used today but is well maintained. May, 1989 Czechoslovakia Brno

Ceremonial hall in the Brno Jewish cemetery. Some 10,000 Jews lived in Brno, the capital of Moravia, in 1930. Nearly all of those who had not left the country by 1940 were sent to the concentration camps. 1,033 returned at war's end. Most of those remaining left in 1948 and 1968. This synagogue, an excellent example of the interwar Czech modernist style called Functonalism, is rarely used today but is well maintained. May, 1989 Czechoslovakia Brno

Tombstones piled against the wall in the Brno Jewish cemetery.Except for these stones, the cemetery was exceptionally well maintained when I visited it. Some 10,000 Jews lived in Brno, the capital of Moravia, in 1930. Nearly all of those who had not left the country by 1940 were sent to the concentration camps. 1,033 returned at war's end. Most of those remaining left in 1948 and 1968. This synagogue, an excellent example of the interwar Czech modernist style called Functonalism, is rarely used today but is well maintained. May, 1989 Czechoslovakia Brno

One of the older stones in the Brno Jewish cemetery. May, 1989 Czechoslovakia Brno

The hilltop town of Ustek lies inside Czech Sudetenland. The ethnic Germans there chased all the Jews out (there were less than 60 in 1938), and the cemetery fell into disrepair. These are the ruins of the ceremonial hall of the cemetery. The sign once read: Die Liebe ist starker als der Tod. (Love is stronger than Death). June, 1989 Czechoslovakia Ustek

Small, well cared for church in the Sudenten Village of Levin. June, 1989 Czechoslovakia Levin

Photographs of Czech Jewish children murdered in the Holocaust in the collections of the Prague Jewish Museum. June, 1996 Czechoslovakia Prague

Records of the deported in the Prague Jewish communitiy's archives. March, 1997 Czechoslovakia Prague

Tomas Kraus, who had worked as an attorney before 1989, became General Secretary of the Federation of Czech Jewish Communities. March, 1997 Czechoslovakia Prague

In the Charles Jordan Old Age Home in Prague. March, 1997 Czechoslovakia Prague

Rabbi and Mrs Meyer in their Prague apartment. The two left for Israel soon after the fall of Communism in 1989. March, 1989 Czechoslovakia Prague

Danielle Meyer shows off 100 crown notes with the face of Klement Gottwald (first Communist head of state) on them. "Look, he looks like ET," she told me, and folded his face to prove it. A few weeks later the currency was pulled from circulation. December, 1989 Czechoslovakia Prague

Youth group meeting with Rabbi Meyer in his study. Very few families had anything to do with the officially sanctioned Jewish community during the Communist years. March, 1989 Czechoslovakia Prague

Jiri Vrba, a retired film director and Holocaust survivor, visiting the synagogue in Bratislava, where he is speaking with the workmen. June, 1989 Czechoslovakia Bratislava

Cemetery overlooking the Danube. June, 1989 Czechoslovakia Bratislava

Orthodox cemetery in Bratislava, which overlooks the Danube. June, 1989 Czechoslovakia Bratislava

Old Jewish quarter of Kosice. Some 800 Jews lived there in 1989. June, 1989 Slovakia Kosice

Graves of famous Hasidic rabbis in the Kosice synagogue. June, 1989 Czechoslovakia Kosice

Dezider Galsky, left, showing Israel's ambassador to Poland, Mordechai Palzur, around the old Jewish quarter in Prague. Galsky had just been given the job he had been thrown out of by the communists. They are standing before the Altneu Synagogue. January, 1990 Czechoslovakia Prague

Interior of the Altneu synagogue in Prague, which dates back to 1271. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Interior of the Altneu synagogue in Prague, which dates back to 1271. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Interior of the Altneu synagogue in Prague, which dates back to 1271. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Prague's only cantor, Mr Freulich, preparing for services. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Commemoration service in the Jewish cemetery of the Terezin Ghetto. While more than 95% of those who were killed or died in Terezin during the war were Jews, the Communist government never acknowledged this. Only in March 1989 did the government allow an international confernce to take place in Terezin. While the officiaprogram focused 40% on the pre-war Communist party and 40% on the liberation of the camp by the Soviets,they did allow around 20% of the speeches and proceedings to mention Jews, which was a first. March, 1989 Czechoslovakia Terezin

Frantisek Kraus stands in front of the barracks he had been imprisoned in as a child in the Terezin ghetto. Kraus was deported to Auschwitz, emigrated to Israel after the war, and fought for Israel's indepdence. Returning home to Prague, he was imprisoned as a Zionist spy. Upon release in 1957, the only establishment in the country that would employ him was the Jewish community. In the early 1980s, he took over the Jewish community and became a faithful party apparatchik until he was thrown out in the revolution in 1989. March, 1989 Czechoslovakia Terezin

In the Prague Jewish school. The school had been an orphanage for Jewish children survivors of the Holocaust, but when all the children had been placed in homes, the school was closed in 1953 and given to the state. The state returned the school to the community in the early 1990s. The Ronald S Lauder Foundation helps fund it and by 2003 more than 200 children were attending. March, 1999 Czechoslovakia Prague

In the Prague Jewish school. The school had been an orphanage for Jewish children survivors of the Holocaust, but when all the children had been placed in homes, the school was closed in 1953 and given to the state. The state returned the school to the community in the early 1990s. The Ronald S Lauder Foundation helps fund it and by 2003 more than 200 children were attending. March, 1989 Czechoslovakia Prague

In the Prague Jewish school. The school had been an orphanage for Jewish children survivors of the Holocaust, but when all the children had been placed in homes, the school was closed in 1953 and given to the state. The state returned the school to the community in the early 1990s. The Ronald S Lauder Foundation helps fund it and by 2003 more than 200 children were attending. March, 1999 Czechoslovakia Prague

In the Prague Jewish school. The school had been an orphanage for Jewish children survivors of the Holocaust, but when all the children had been placed in homes, the school was closed in 1953 and given to the state. The state returned the school to the community in the early 1990s. The Ronald S Lauder Foundation helps fund it and by 2003 more than 200 children were attending. March, 1999 Czechoslovakia Prague

In the Prague Jewish school. The school had been an orphanage for Jewish children survivors of the Holocaust, but when all the children had been placed in homes, the school was closed in 1953 and given to the state. The state returned the school to the community in the early 1990s. The Ronald S Lauder Foundation helps fund it and by 2003 more than 200 children were attending. March, 1999 Czechoslovakia Prague

In the Prague Jewish school. The school had been an orphanage for Jewish children survivors of the Holocaust, but when all the children had been placed in homes, the school was closed in 1953 and given to the state. The state returned the school to the community in the early 1990s. The Ronald S Lauder Foundation helps fund it and by 2003 more than 200 children were attending. March, 1999 Czechoslovakia Prague

In the Prague Jewish school. The school had been an orphanage for Jewish children survivors of the Holocaust, but when all the children had been placed in homes, the school was closed in 1953 and given to the state. The state returned the school to the community in the early 1990s. The Ronald S Lauder Foundation helps fund it and by 2003 more than 200 children were attending. March, 1999 Czechoslovakia Prague

An official state Zil limousine (manufactured in Russia) of the Czechoslovak governmnent in the Prague Jewish quarter in January 1990. Diplomatic relations were immediately restored after the fall of Communism in November 1989 and Foreign Minister Moshe Arens flew to Prague for a signing ceremony in January. January, 1990 Czechoslovakia Prague

Jewish cemetery in a town where Jews no longer live. March, 1989 Czechoslovakia Velke Mezerici

Statue of Rabbi Judah ben Loew on the Prague city hall.The statue tells the old Bohemian folk tale that his daughter wanted to marry a non-Jewish knight, and came to her father to beg for his release, which he refused. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Another Bohemian town that saw its Jewish population grown between the 17th -19th centuries, then rapidly decline. Around 60 Jews lived here in 1930. The cemetery, kept up well by the local authorities, dates back to the 17th c. June, 1989 Czechoslovakia Brandys Nad Labem

Overgrown Jewish cemetery in Trnava, in Slovakia. June, 1989 Czechoslovakia Trnava

Jewish cemtery in Trnava. June, 1989 Slovakia Trnava

Jewish cemetery in Trnava June, 1989 Slovakia Trnava

View through the old Jewish quarter of Nitra toward the synagogue. Almost no Jews were living in the town, which had once been famous for Hasidic rabbis. The synagogue was being turned into a concert hall. June, 1989 Slovakia Nitra

Overgrown Jewish cemetery in Nitra, Slovakia. June, 1989 Slovakia Nitra

Jewish cemetery in Nitra, Slovakia. June, 1989 Slovakia Nitra

Jewish cemetery in Trnava, Slovakia June, 1989 Slovakia Trnava

Jewish cemetery in Bratislava overlooking the Danube. June, 1989 Slovakia Bratislava

Andrej Ernyei, a piano tuner and Dixieland musician, on his way to tune someone's piano in Prague. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Arnost Goldflam, a theater director in Brno. March, 1989 Czech Republic Brno

Hanukkah concert and magic show in the Prague Jewish community center. December, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Interior of Bratislava synagogue, which was built in the 1920s and is still well maintained. June, 1989 Slovakia Bratislava

Interior of Bratislava synagogue, which was built in the 1920s and is still well maintained. June, 1989 Slovakia Bratislava

Synagogue of Lomnice, which sits on the town's main square. Like many Bohemian towns, the Jewish population was substantial (around 20%) before the mid 1800s. Afterward, when Jews were given permission to live anywhere in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, most left small towns like this. The Jewish population went from 306 in 1848 to 29 in 1930. March, 1989 Czech Republic Lomnice

Synagogue of Lomnice, which sits on the town's main square. Like many Bohemian towns, the Jewish population was substantial (around 20%) before the mid 1800s. Afterward, when Jews were given permission to live anywhere in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, most left small towns like this. The Jewish population went from 306 in 1848 to 29 in 1930. March, 1989 Czech Republic Lomnice

Exterior of the Altneu synagogue in the center of Prague. Built in 1271, the synagogue has been in use ever since. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Michael Zantovsky, a translator and dissident, became the first press spokesman for President Vaclav Havel. Pictured here in the presidential palace. January, 1990 Czech Republic Prague

Rabbi Daniel Meyer, the only practicing rabbi before 1989. He left for Israel in the early 1990s and several rabbis now work in the city. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Viktor Freulich, the cantor Prague. He maintained the religious life of the community all during the communist decades. Born in sub-Carpathian Ruthenia, he died in the late 1990s. October, 2016 Czechoslovakia Prague

Jewish cemetery in a town where Jews no longer live. March, 1988 Czech Republic Velke Mezeriki

Orthodox cemetery in Bratislava. June, 1989 Slovakia Bratislava

Andrej Ernjey, a piano tuner and jazz musician, on his way to tune a piano in Prague. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Caretaker in the Prague Jewish cemetery. March, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

Dezidir Galsky, in hat, giving a tour of the old Jewish cemetery to then Israeli foreign minister Moshe Arens, and Josef Govrin (in lambswool cap). January, 1990 Czechoslovakia Prague

Rabbi Daniel Meyer and his children's religion class. Of the four children who regularly attended, two were his. November, 1988 Czechoslovakia Prague

Sasha Vondra, left, and President Vaclav Havel, on the presidential plane as it flew to Israel. Vondra was a foreign policy advisor. April, 1990 Czech Republic Prague

Michael Zantovsky,one of four Jews to serve in President Havel's cabinet, reading a tour book on Israel as the delegation flew to Israel. April, 1990 Czech Republic Prague

Dr Nosek, Mrs Meyer and Dr Parik in the Jewish Museum shortly after the velvet revolution. December, 1989 Czechoslovakia Prague

Doorman in the Jewish community center in Prague holding a Havel to the Castle poster. Castle = White House. December, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

Mrs Gruenberg, who ran the kosher kitchen in the Bratislava community center. March, 1989 Slovakia Bratislava

Worker in the Prague community kitchen. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Purim party in the Jewish community center in Prague. March, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

At the first conference on Terezin, which was held in Terezin. A communist-dominated event, it was nevertheless the first such conference ever held. March, 1989 Czech Republic Terezin

Entrance to the Altneu synagogue in Prague, which had been in use since 1271. This baroque doorway was clearly added later, probably in the 1700s. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Entrance to the Altneu synagogue in Prague, which had been in use since 1271. You can see the gothic sanctuary risinig out of the surrounding building, which was clearly added much later. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Jewish cemetery in Mikulov, which had once had a large Jewish community. Most Jews had moved away by the beginning of the 20th century. November, 1988 Czech Republic Mikulov

Interior of the Jubilee synagogue in Prague, which was built in 1905-1906. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Interior of the Jubilee synagogue in Prague, which was built in 1905-1906. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Overgrown cemetery in Kolin, a town where no Jews live today. November, 1988 Czech Republic Kolin

This had once been a town famous for its rabbis. Nearly 2,000 Jews lived here in the mid 1800s-- 36% of the population. But when fully emancipated, most left for the big cities, and by 1930 there were less than 400 here. Nearly everyone was deported, a few returned, and the community died in the late 1950s. The Jewish ghetto is almost perfectly preserved but was in run down shape when I photographed it. It has since been very well restored. March, 1989 Czech Republic Boskovice

Ruined synagogue of Polna. The town was famous because Leopold Hilsner, a Jew, was accused of killing a Christian girl in a blood libel trial in the early 1900s. The synagogue has been carefully restored and now houses a Jewish museum, although no Jews live in the town today. March, 1989 Czech Republic Polna

This had once been a town famous for its rabbis. Nearly 2,000 Jews lived here in the mid 1800s-- 36% of the population. But when fully emancipated, most left for the big cities, and by 1930 there were less than 400 here. Nearly everyone was deported, a few returned, and the community died in the late 1950s. The Jewish ghetto is almost perfectly preserved but was in run down shape when I photographed it. It has since been very well restored. March, 1989 Czech Republic Boskovice

This had once been a town famous for its rabbis. Nearly 2,000 Jews lived here in the mid 1800s-- 36% of the population. But when fully emancipated, most left for the big cities, and by 1930 there were less than 400 here. Nearly everyone was deported, a few returned, and the community died in the late 1950s. The Jewish ghetto is almost perfectly preserved but was in run down shape when I photographed it. It has since been very well restored. March, 1989 Czech Republic Boskovice

The old Jewish cemetery in Prague, which contains 12,000 plus graves in much less than an acre of ground. First grave dates to 1439. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Burial hall at the Trnava Jewish cemetery. June, 1989 Slovakia Trnava

Overgrown cemetery at Trnava, where Jews no longer live. June, 1989 Slovakia Trnava

Purim party in the Prague Jewish community center. March, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

Purim party in the Prague Jewish community center. March, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

Andrej Ernjey, enjoying a cigar at the Prague Purim party. March, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

Grave of the famed 16th century rabbi, Judah ben Loew. October, 2016 Czech Republic Prague

Arno Parik, curator of paintings, in the store room of the Prague Jewish Museum. March, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

This had once been a town famous for its rabbis. Nearly 2,000 Jews lived here in the mid 1800s-- 36% of the population. But when fully emancipated, most left for the big cities, and by 1930 there were less than 400 here. Nearly everyone was deported, a few returned, and the community died in the late 1950s. The Jewish ghetto is almost perfectly preserved but was in run down shape when I photographed it. It has since been very well restored. March, 1989 Czech Republic Boskovice

Graves of Jewish soldiers who fell fighting for the Austro Hungarian Empire duiring World War One. June, 1989 Czech Republic Brno

Ceremonial hall of the Brno Jewish cemtery. More than 10,000 Jews lived in the city in 1930. 8,000 were deported during the Holocaust. A small community, which kept getting smaller, was re-established after the war. Les than 200 Jews lived there in 2003. June, 1989 Czech Republic Brno

Interior of Jubilee synagogue in Prague, built in 1905. October, 2016 Czech Republic Prague

Holocaust memorial in the Jewish cemetery of the Slovak town of Nitra. June, 1989 Czech Republic Nitra

Exhibition in the Clausen synagogue, one of the buildings of the Prague Jewish Museum. the collection is comprised of confiscated Judaica collected during trhe Nazi period. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Jewish community center with Skoda. November, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

Gates to the old Jewish cemetery in Prague. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

No Jews lived in Trnava by the time I got there in 1989 and the synagogue was being turned into a concert hall. June, 1989 Slovakia Trnava

This synagogue was built in 1867. Jews had lived here for hundreds of years and their numbers peaked in the 1840s with over 1100. By the 1930s, only 76 remained. They were deported and none returned. March, 1989 Czech Republic Velke Mezicki

Paintings in the Prague Jewish Museum's store room. The collection is comprised of Judaica confiscated from Jewish homes and synagogues during the Nazi occupation. Curator of paintings: Arno Parik. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Paintings in the Prague Jewish Museum's store room. The collection is comprised of Judaica confiscated from Jewish homes and synagogues during the Nazi occupation. Curator of paintings: Arno Parik. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Exterior of the Bratislava synagogue, which was built in the 1920s in Czech functionalist style. June, 1989 Czechoslovakia Bratislava

Paintings in the Prague Jewish Museum's store room. The collection is comprised of Judaica confiscated from Jewish homes and synagogues during the Nazi occupation. Curator of paintings: Arno Parik. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

A painting by Frieda Dickel Brandeis, known mostly for having taught children to paint while imprisoned in Terezin. This painting is of her SS interrogation.Paintings in the Prague Jewish Museum's store room. The collection is comprised of Judaica confiscated from Jewish homes and synagogues during the Nazi occupation. Curator of paintings: Arno Parik. October, 2016 Czech Republic Prague

Paintings in the Prague Jewish Museum's store room. The collection is comprised of Judaica confiscated from Jewish homes and synagogues during the Nazi occupation. Curator of paintings: Arno Parik. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Paintings in the Prague Jewish Museum's store room. The collection is comprised of Judaica confiscated from Jewish homes and synagogues during the Nazi occupation. Curator of paintings: Arno Parik. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Irene Bluhova, a Bauhaus trained photographer, in her Bratislava apartment. December, 1990 Slovakia Bratislava

Juri Spitzer, who had been a partizan fighter and then a historian, in his Bratislava apartment. March, 1989 Slovakia Bratislava

Synagogue of Lomnice, which sits on the town's main square. Like many Bohemian towns, the Jewish population was substantial (around 20%) before the mid 1800s. Afterward, when Jews were given permission to live anywhere in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, most left small towns like this. The Jewish population went from 306 in 1848 to 29 in 1930. March, 1989 Czech Republic Lomnice

Purim party at the Jewish community center. Center/right is Michael Zantovsky, who was then a translator and dissident. By the end of the year, he was press spokesman for the new government. March, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

A functionalist style headstone. The Brno Jewish cemetery was one of the best maintained as well as one of the most interesting Jewish cemeteries in the country. June, 1989 Czech Republic Brno

The Brno Jewish cemetery was one of the best maintained as well as one of the most interesting Jewish cemeteries in the country, clearly reflecting its upper middle class German-Jewish background. June, 2016 Czech Republic Brno

12,000 gravestones are crammed into the Prague Jewish cemetery, which served its community from the late 1400s until 1787. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Exhibition in the Prague Jewish Museum. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Synagogue of Ustek, a small hilltop town in Sudentenland. All the Jews (less than 60) were thrown out by the ethnic Germans in 1938. Then the Germans were thrown out in 1945. The synagogue was restored by the town in 2003 as a Jewish museum. June, 1989 Czech Republic Ustek

I am holding up a publisher's catalogue, which was then releasing a book of short stories by Franz Kafka. This was highly unusual during the communist period. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

The baroque period addition to the Altneu synagogue in Prague. The original building went up in 1271. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Interior of the Altneu synagogue. Built in 1271, this gothic shul has been in use ever since. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Spanish synagogue of Prague. Now completely restored. June, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

Senec is a small town just north of Bratislava. One Jew, David Levy, was living there in 1989 and the synagogue stood shuddered and empty on the main street of town. June, 1989 Slovakia Senec

Senec is a small town just north of Bratislava. One Jew, David Levy, was living there in 1989 and the synagogue stood shuddered and empty on the main street of town. June, 1989 Slovakia Senec

Crematorium in the Terezin concentration camp. Approximately 150,000 went through Terezin, most of them on their way to death camps. Around 33,000 died there, of whom, 25,000 were cremated. November, 1988 Czech Republic Terezin

This synagogue was built in 1867. Jews had lived here for hundreds of years and their numbers peaked in the 1840s with over 1100. By the 1930s, only 76 remained. They were deported and none returned. March, 1989 Czech Republic Velke Mezirici

Baroque entranceway to old synagogue of the town. After 1989 it was turned into a Jewish museum.Jews had lived here for hundreds of years and their numbers peaked in the 1840s with over 1100. By the 1930s, only 76 remained. They were deported and none returned. March, 1989 Czech Republic Velke Mezirici

Detail: Prague Jewish cemetery. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Abandoned synagogue in Trnava. It was being turned into a concert hall when I visited in 1989. June, 1989 Slovakia Trnava

Synagogue of Trnava, which was being restored as a concert house. June, 1989 Slovakia Trnava

Army band plays at commemoration service in Terezin ghetto. March, 1989 Czech Republic Terezin

Communist Pioneers stand at attention while invited guests at a commemoration service in Terezin walk past. March, 1989 Czech Republic Terezin

Prayer book in the Bratislava synagogue. June, 1989 Slovakia Bratislava

David Levy was the only Jew in Senec when I visited in 1989. The synagogue was shuddered and many of the graves in the overgrown Jewish cemetery were overgrown. June, 1989 Slovakia Senec

Andrej Ernjey, standing, and his daughter Andrea and wife Marta, in their Prague apartment. The family had vigorously supported the dissident movement before 1989 and Andrej was jailed during the Velvet Revolution. After the revolution Andrej worked as a musical booking agency, Andrea ran a Jewish youth club and Marta went to work in the Israeli embassy. December, 1990 Czech Republic Prague

In the rabbi's kitchen. Prague. March, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

Kodesh, Kodesh, Kodesh, the Hebrew words for Holy, are written around the crucifix. Legend has it a Jew was accused of spitting on this statue in the 1600s and the Jewish community was forced to put the Hebrew on the statue. It was said that until 1939, the letters were of pure gold. (this story is largely discredited today, but it still has a life of its own). November, 1989 Czech Republic Prague

Andrej Ernjey instructing his dog to watch out for the family while he is off playing in a Dixieland band. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

Commemoration service at Terezin, at the spot on the River Eger where the ashes of 25,000 Jews were dumped in the closing months of the war. March, 1989 Czech Republic Terezin

Cemetery in Kosice, which was relatively well kept. It had also been badly desecrated, and on more than one occasion. June, 1989 Slovakia Kosice

Holocaust memorial in the Kosice cemetery. June, 1989 Slovakia Kosice

This had once been the Neolog (conservative) synagogue. It was now a theater. June, 1989 Slovakia Kosice

Arno Parik, curator of paintings, in the Jewish Museum's store room. November, 1988 Czech Republic Prague

The elegant Bauhaus, or functionalist, style Brno synagogue, the only one remaining in service during the communist period. 10,000 Jews lived in the city pre 1939, and more than 8,000 were deported. Few returned. June, 1989 Czech Republic Brno

The elegant Bauhaus, or functionalist, style Brno synagogue, the only one remaining in service during the communist period. 10,000 Jews lived in the city pre 1939, and more than 8,000 were deported. Few returned. June, 1989 Czech Republic Brno

The Brno Jewish cemetery is one of the most beautiful in the country. Many of its tombstones reflect the heights the community reached during the last years of the Austrian Empire, as well as the first years of the First Republic.More than 10,000 Jews lived in the city in 1930. 8,000 were deported during the Holocaust. A small community, which kept getting smaller, was re-established after the war. Les than 200 Jews lived there in 2003. June, 1989 Czech Republic Brno

The Brno Jewish cemetery is one of the most beautiful in the country. Many of its tombstones reflect the heights the community reached during the last years of the Austrian Empire, as well as the first years of the First Republic.More than 10,000 Jews lived in the city in 1930. 8,000 were deported during the Holocaust. A small community, which kept getting smaller, was re-established after the war. Les than 200 Jews lived there in 2003. June, 1989 Czech Republic Brno

The Brno Jewish cemetery is one of the most beautiful in the country. Many of its tombstones reflect the heights the community reached during the last years of the Austrian Empire, as well as the first years of the First Republic.More than 10,000 Jews lived in the city in 1930. 8,000 were deported during the Holocaust. A small community, which kept getting smaller, was re-established after the war. Les than 200 Jews lived there in 2003. June, 1989 Czech Republic Brno

The Brno Jewish cemetery is one of the most beautiful in the country. Many of its tombstones reflect the heights the community reached during the last years of the Austrian Empire, as well as the first years of the First Republic.More than 10,000 Jews lived in the city in 1930. 8,000 were deported during the Holocaust. A small community, which kept getting smaller, was re-established after the war. Les than 200 Jews lived there in 2003. June, 1989 Czech Republic Brno

Jewish cemetery in Mikulov, which had once been an important city for rabbinic learning. Jews in the town had also been involved in the wine trade, but most moved to Brno, Prague or Vienna after the mid 1800s. June, 1997 Czech Republic Mikulov