Susan Boyer and other friends of the Memorial Scrolls Trust were present in Pribram, Czech Republic, on 3rd June for the unveiling ceremony of a memorial stone for Shoah victims from Pribram. We just received a copy of the words spoken by the mayor of the town, Jindrich Vereka:
"Dear Rabbi Sidon [Chief
Rabbi, Czech Republic], dear Mrs. [Susan] Fisher Boyer, dear Mrs. [Judy]
Mannaberg Goldman, dear Mrs. [Beverly] Karp, dear [200] guests:
Let me welcome you, in
this rare moment, on behalf of Pribram City Hall.
We have gathered here
today to honour the memory of the Jews
fallen and martyred during the Second World War. Unfortunately, we would be hardly able to
find another nation which was throughout its long history persecuted as much as
the Jewish one. Synonyms such as
genocide, the Holocaust, the extermination, the Shoah, pogroms, and others
accompany the nation for tens of centuries.
To say the truth, it is
a miracle that despite all the centuries of persecution the Jewish nation
survived. And in today's world, it
represents not only moral but also economic power, which can't be missed. In addition it is necessary to mention the
tiny percentage of Jewish people to the world population--only a quarter of one
percent. This gives reason to admire
even more the deep trace left by this pious and capable nation in the annals
of mankind.
Today, at this place,
we commemorate the tragic fate of the Jewish population during the Second World
War, and not only of Jewish people from Pribram. It is very sad to say that once again it was
just the Jewish nation that suffered the most.
With great respect we remember, and we will always remember, the
unimaginable number of 6 million lost human lives, which at that time meant
more than two thirds of Europe's Jewish population.
I am really proud that
just by virtue of my position as the Mayor of Pribram, I can take part in these
memorial events and give a clear signal of not only my personal, but also the
official, attitude to this delicate issue.
I sympathize with all
killed, murdered and fallen members of the Jewish nation and express my respect
to them. We are standing here today
because nothing like this could even happen again.
Thank you"
