The Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in
Europe has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human
Rights against the Czech government in an effort to stop the
ongoing desecration of a Jewish cemetery in Prague -- or at
least to set a precedent that could prevent recurrences in
similar cases in the future.
The 13th century cemetery, abandoned after 1478, was
unexpectedly dug up two years ago during construction of a
subterranean garage under a new building to house the Ceska
Pojistovna insurance company.
"The lawsuit was raised because construction work is to be
conducted beneath the cemetery," Simona Maskova, one of the
group's attorneys, told Reuters. The Committee has not been a
partner in the negotiations.
"After the European court releases the verdict, it will
probably be too late to stop the building . . . so the
lawsuit is expected to result in an appeal for a more
supportive character [in rulings] and to set a precedent in
subsequent cases."
In a news conference, Rabbi Arthur Pinter of the London-based
committee said that "even at this very late stage, we are
appealing to the Czech government and to the Czech people to
stop what I can only call a state-sanctioned vandalism."
A government decision on February 4, 1999, ordered
archaeological research, which yielded some 120 skeletal
remains and provoked strong protests from Jewish
organizations worldwide and led to the suspension of the
building activity.
In March, Culture Minister Pavel Dostal said it had been
agreed that the 40-meter (yard) long, 10-meter-wide burial
site was to be encased in concrete and the company would
build around it.
According to the agreement, technical details were to be
discussed by the representatives of the Prague Jewish
Community and Ceska Pojistovna at a later date.
Tomas Kraus, secretary of the Federation of Jewish
Communities in the Czech Republic, said, however, that the
company immediately renewed works at the site, with plans to
encase the cemetery from all sides.
"All parties involved, including the Prague Jewish community,
agreed in March with the solution that would encase the
burial site in concrete," Ceska Pojistovna said in a
statement.
"We were not extremely happy that the company would dig under
the graves, but eventually we agreed," Kraus said.
"We always tried to achieve progress with quiet diplomacy,"
said Rabbi Hershel Gluck from the committee. "We've been
forced to change our policy."
The rabbonim also charged that the 120 remains already
removed have not yet been reburied. Ceska Pojistovna earlier
said the reburial could occur in September.
In a separate development, Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of
the New York Board of Rabbis who was involved in the original
negotiations has called upon the Czech minister of culture to
apologize for an insulting article he wrote. Local Jewish
representatives also described the article as "rude and
offensive" and backed Rabbi Schneier's call for an apology.
Rabbi Schneier considers himself an Orthodox rabbi, though he
heads an institution that was condemned by virtually all
Orthodox rabbinical leaders since it includes Orthodox,
Conservative and Reform clergy as members.
Rabbi Schneier also said he is worried about the impact the
article would have on local Jews.
"My concern is the safety and well-being of the Prague Jewish
community. This kind of article just fuels antisemitism."
The U.S. Embassy in Prague confirmed that the article was the
"subject of conversation" between Ambassador John Shattuck
and Dostal at a meeting last week, but it did not disclose
further details. The embassy has played a key role in
mediating negotiations over the future of the cemetery.
