Czechs, Slovaks and the Jews, 1938 48
Also by Jan Láníček GOVERNMENTS- IN- EXILE AND THE JEWS DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR ( co- edited with James Jordan)
Czechs, Slovaks and the Jews, 1938 48 Beyond Idealisation and Condemnation Jan Láníček Postdoctoral Fellow in Jewish History, University of New South Wales
Jan Láníček 2013 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6 10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2013 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-35001-8 ISBN 978-1-137-31747-6 (ebook) DOI 10.1057/9781137317476 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India.
Contents List of Tables List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Map: The partition of wartime Czechoslovakia vii viii ix xii Introduction 1 Prelude 3 Governments- in- exile and the Jews 13 1 The Exiles and the Situation in Nazi Europe 16 In thrall to the Jews 21 Avoiding the unavoidable? 31 Beneficial cleansing 35 2 The Meaning of Loyalty: The Exiles and the Jews, 1939 41 42 A minority is a minority 47 What did it mean to be loyal? 53 The power of the Jews 63 3 The Holocaust 76 We will find more Jews alive after this war than we think 78 Rescue and relief for the deported Jews 87 The Czechoslovak diplomacy and the Jews 95 Broadcasting and instrumentalising the Holocaust 104 4 The Jewish Minority and Post- War Czechoslovakia 116 Warning signals 118 A conditional support for Zionism 123 Czechoslovak Communists and the Jews 137 5 Defending the Democratic Myth 146 In liberated Czechoslovakia 147 7,000 suicides in Prague 158 A surprising ally 165 Goodwill of the Czechoslovak government 173 Indifference or non-interventionism? 178 v
vi Contents Conclusion: Beyond Idealisation and Condemnation 187 Notes 192 Bibliography 237 Index 256
List of Tables I.1 Nationality of Jews in Czechoslovakia (censuses in 1921 and 1930) 9 I.2 Jewry in the Czechoslovak territory according to religion in 1910, 1920 and 1930 9 3.1 Direct deportations from the Protectorate to the east 77 3.2 Deportations from Theresienstadt (1942 1944) 81 vii
List of Illustrations 1 Jews in the Protectorate were from 1 September 1941 branded with the Star of David (Prague, Old Jewish Cemetery), Jewish Museum in Prague Photo Archive (2268) 19 2 Jan Masaryk among Czechoslovak soldiers in Britain. Masarykův ústav a Archiv AV ČR (Fond: EB IV/3, i. č.: 2821, sig.: 848/128) 34 3 The government- in- exile (1940): (from left) J. Nečas, L. Feierabend, H. Ripka, E. Outrata, gen. R. Viest, E. Beneš, Š. Osuský, J. Šrámek, J. Bečko, gen. S. Ingr, F. Němec, J. Slávik. Masarykův ústav a Archiv AV ČR (Fond: EB IV/3, i. č.: 776 sig.: 588) 49 4 The deportation of Jews from Uherský Brod, Moravia, 1943. Jewish Museum in Prague Photo Archive (S030076) 79 5 Hlinka Guardists watch Jews boarding a train during deportation from Žilina, Slovakia, 1942. Yad Vashem Archives (68/1585) 112 6 Aufbau (18 June 1943) informs about Beneš s plans to discuss the creation of a Jewish state during his trip to Moscow (copyright Aufbau) 127 7 Hubert Ripka (right) and Edvard Beneš in London, 1944. Masarykův ústav a Archiv AV ČR (Fond: EB IV/3, i. č.: 1597, sig.: 745/b) 136 8 Members of the Czechoslovak government (A. Zápotocký, B. Laušman, Z. Fierlinger, J. Ursíny, K. Gottwald, V. Šrobár, V. Majer, J. David, J. Šoltész, J. Smutný) observe President Beneš signing the decree on the nationalisation of key industries. Masarykův ústav a Archiv AV ČR (Fond: EB IV/3, i. č.: 2166, sig.: 822/b) 150 9 Brichah: A Czech soldier helping Jewish children on a truck. Yad Vashem Archives (179AO9) 177 viii
Acknowledgements This monograph is the product of my work during the previous seven years. Its origins can be traced to my studies at Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic, where I spent several inspiring years first as an undergraduate and later as a graduate student. The history department and the Faculty of Arts in Olomouc supported my first academic endeavours and thanks to their grant support I was able to visit Israel for the first time and conduct research in the main archives in Jerusalem. The final outcome of my graduate studies was a study on the activities of the only nationally Jewish member of the Czechoslovak exile parliament in London, Arnošt Frischer. Whilst conducting this research, I realised that there was a significant gap in Czech and world historiography, because there was no comprehensive study available on the theme of the Czechoslovak government- in- exile and their attitude towards the so- called Jewish question during and after the Second World War. A lucky coincidence led me after graduation to Southampton, where I spent the following five years, working in a community of excellent scholars, with a clear focus on modern Jewish history and Jewish/ non- Jewish relations. Graduate studies at the Parkes Institute in Southampton, with its financial support for what people in Britain call East European Scholars, allowed me to complete another graduate degree there and subsequently follow up with my PhD dissertation. I was extremely lucky to work under the supervision of several outstanding scholars who contributed to my professional and personal growth as a researcher of modern European history. First of all I have to thank Tony Kushner, over the course of four years, spent much of his precious time closely reading and commenting on the various chapter drafts and the final manuscript of my PhD thesis. Besides this, Tony also introduced me to the secrets of the popular and highly exciting game the British call cricket. I have come to love this sometimes painful game whilst wearing the Cavaliers jersey and must say that I miss the time I spent at the Southampton Sports Centre during my student years. There are, however, also other people in Southampton whose support I would like to acknowledge here. Mark Cornwall, Neil Gregor and Mark Levene commented on my manuscript at various stages, Frances Clarke helped me with the preparation of the manuscript for publication, and ix
x Acknowledgements James Jordan was a jolly companion during our cricket and football matches, and during our various encounters at Avenue Campus. Renée Poznanski from Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva was not a lenient examiner during my stressful viva examination, but she spent several hours of her short stay in Southampton giving me valuable comments on how to refine my dissertation into a compact manuscript that would be accessible to a general readership as well as the academic community. Last but not least, the excellent people in the vibrant PhD community in Southampton then provided outlets from the casual days in the PhD office and often led the way to the nearby Crown Inn, with its delicious burgers and pints of ale. My research would not have been completed in the present form without several institutions whose financial support allowed me to visit the zillion archives that were necessary for the completion of my manuscript and I deeply appreciate their contribution. The University of Southampton and the AHRC awarded me a doctoral scholarship, which allowed me to focus entirely on my research. The American Jewish Archives honoured me with their Joseph and Eva R. Dave Fellowship which supported my stay in Cincinnati and a Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute grant gave me an opportunity to conduct research in the FDR Presidential library. Furthermore, my research stay in Israel was enabled by the Rothschild Foundation Europe. In 2011 12, the Prins Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Jewish History in New York gave me sufficient time and space to work on my book manuscript and also to present the outcomes of my research at various institutions in the New York area. During my visits at Yad Vashem, I not only had opportunities to share the preliminary conclusions of my research, but could also discuss the direction of my research with eminent Holocaust historians, especially Yehuda Bauer and the late David Bankier, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for their comments and suggestions. During the final phase of the preparation of the manuscript, several colleagues, I would like to call them friends, commented on various aspects of my book manuscript. I especially have to thank Kateřina Čapková from New York University in Prague with her expertise in modern Czech- Jewish history who carefully read the whole draft and contributed with her in- depth comments to its final form. I also would like to thank Michal Frankl from the Jewish Museum in Prague, Jacob Labendz from the Washington University in St. Louis and Petr Brod from Prague for their comments and suggestions. My deep appreciation should also be given to my publisher, Palgrave Macmillan, in the first place to Jen McCall,
Acknowledgements xi Clare Mence and Jo North for accepting my book proposal and then working with me on the final product. In any case, the final manuscript and any inaccuracies present are my sole responsibility. I can also advise the readers who might be interested in certain issues raised in my book, in particular those dealing with the Czechoslovak exiles responses to the Holocaust, that two of my articles, published in Holocaust Studies and Yad Vashem Studies respectively, offer wider perspectives to the themes discussed in Chapter 3 of this monograph. When conveying my thanks, I should not forget the long list of archivists and librarians working in various institutions worldwide who shared their indispensable expertise and knowledge of the collections held by their institutions and who on many occasions revealed hidden treasures that hopefully made my book more interesting. It is impossible to name all of them here, because I would inadvertently leave some of them out. Hence I rather send a general acknowledgement to all of them, because only we historians know that our work would be much more difficult, almost impossible, without the support of archivists and librarians regardless of whether they work for major international archives or in small local institutions. My last thanks should definitely go to my family. My parents and grandparents provided support throughout the years of my studies in the Czech Republic, but also once I left my homeland and relocated to various continents all over the world. They know how much I miss them far away in Australia and this book is hence dedicated to them for all that they have done for me over the years. Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife Emine for surviving the stressful months when I was finishing my PhD, applying for academic jobs and co- organising our wedding all at the same time. I very much appreciate that she joined me on our current Oz adventure and I really hope it was not just because she wanted to see kangaroos, koalas and those bizarre beaky birds, although I understand that they have been on her mind since the moment I told her during my short visit from New York to Oxford that we would be moving to Australia in three months. Thank you again.
GERMANY Prague Pilsen Brno Košice SUBCARPATHIAN UKRAINE ROMANIA HUNGARY Bratislava Territory of Czechoslovakia after the Munich Agreement Territory annexed to Germany Territory annexed to Hungary Territory annexed to Poland Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (after March 15, 1939) POLAND GERMANY AUSTRIA Map The partition of wartime Czechoslovakia Source: www.ustrcr.cz xii