Jewish Moravia, Jewish Brno               

      The beginning of the 21st century evokes many questions, doubts and hesitations in our minds. The least we can do is face some of confrontations concerning what has stemmed from the century we were born in. The century of industrial development and intellectual growth on one hand, and the century of world war conflicts, xenophobia and endless human pride on the other. The year 2000 is symbolic in many ways and for this reason the association for culture and dialog K2001 is preparing a big cultural project; JEWISH MORAVIA, JEWISH BRNO.
      The history of Moravia is closely connected to the history of Jewish nation settling in this region over the course of several centuries. Among the important places inhabited by Jewish citizens in Moravia include: Holešov, Boskovice, Dolní Kounice, Mikulov, Uherský Brod, Brno and others. Pre-war Brno, a mostly German and Jewish town, attracted, thanks to its geopolitical location, a great number of renowned world writers, architects, and other artists predominantly of Jewish origin. They immensely influenced Brno’s cultural life along with that of the whole region.
      Project Jewish Moravia, Jewish Brno wants to capture, by its rich contents, not only the legacy and heritage of Jewish culture in Moravia, but also the current form of its steady continuation. A large exhibition which will be held at the end of the year 2000 in the House of Art of Brno and a two part specialized and extensive book, which is the first of this kind in Czech republic, are the basic foundations of the project.
      Diverse cooperation with different partners has contributed to the various means of presenting the Jewish culture and its effect on Moravia. The instructive aspect which is characteristic of the project’s conception as a whole, is fortified by a series of lectures and discussion seminars, organized with the support of rectors from Brno’s universities.
      The outreach of the project is not limited only to Moravian metropolis Brno; cooperation is also assured in other Moravian cities. Partnership with the principal media of Czech republic and these actualized web pages allow the transmission of knowledge to large public, including the foreign component, about the realization, the theme and the contents of the project.

       The opening ceremony of the Jewish Moravia, Jewish Brno project will be held on December 18, 2000 in the National Theatre of Brno. The project’s exhibition will last until February 11, 2001 in the House of Art of Brno (Dům Umění města Brna). Events accompanying the whole project will be in progress since the summer of 2000 and will last the following year.