Jews as “the pioneers of the postmodern condition”: the Ambivalence, Dilemmas, and Aporias of Contemporary Czech Jewish Lived Experience
Basic Figures
In 2018, the Czech core Jewish population numbered 3,900 and enlarged Jewish population 6,500 people out of an overall population of 10,600,000. A 3-4 times higher number claims the Federation of Czech Jewish Communities. There is an estimation that 15,000-20,000 Jews live in the Czech Republic. However, most of them are not listed.
Purpose and Main Research Topics
The study introduces qualitative anthropological research that strives to deconstruct and reinterpret the meaning and perception of Jewishness as a lived experience among Jewish minority but also majority society in the Czech Republic today. The research topics include the minority self-perception and image of the world surrounding them; how do they self-position themselves in their respective ambiance; do they experience a sense of belonging on a national, transnational, global, local, or communal level; how do they perceive the majority society and vice versa, how the majority society views them; and lastly, what is the nature of the relationship to Israel.
Theoretical Concepts
In his Philosophy of Mind, Hegel conceptualizes the Other as a constitutive part of one’s self-consciousness. Representations of the Jew embody the primary archetype of otherness inscribed in European collective imagination. As such, they personify figures crucial for Western distinction and self-understanding.
The presented anthropological qualitative study pioneers in the mapping of mental landscape and imaginative forces of diverse individuals within their pertinent cultural and religious backgrounds. Notably, this study intends to expand the insights into various alternative worldviews (Weltanschauungen), master/small narratives of Jews and non-Jews, and excavate their particular resources and obstacles in building transcultural alliances and networks and communities.
Sample of Emerging Themes
“Two small countries” – Narrative of shared destiny
“[…] the Czechs and Jews have mutually served as referential societies, creating a shared set of collective memories.”
Many positive statements and ideas towards Jews and Israel coming from Masaryk, Havel, Kundera, and Kohout were not just expressions of individual personalities but rather a prevalent concept of Czech elites with significant long-term impact on the mainstream society.
Moreover, Czech/Czechoslovak dissidents, which formed after the Velvet revolution in 1989, ruling garniture, experienced a destiny of persecution with the Jewish minority during the totalitarian regime. This shared sense of persecution has created mutual solidarity lasting till today.
Jewishness as an exclusive asset – Being “Unsere” – “fashionable” Jewish roots
As a consequence of the above-mentioned widely spread post-revolutionary affirmative action, Jewishness and Jewish roots were also adopted by non-Jewish intellectuals and gradually “rebranded” to achieve access to the upper level of erudite circles (social status mobility).
De-assimilation. Becoming Jewish.
Ambivalent self-perception of Jews within Jewish and also majority society. Terms Czech and Jew are mutually inclusive. The “Hyphenated” identity of Czech Jews strengthen by the direct experience of the Holocaust. The ongoing search for authentic Jewishness through affiliation to “locally inauthentic” modern orthodoxy (mainly 3-4 generation).
Israel
Attitude to Israel has a complex quality that oscillates between strong affection bordering with idealized, nostalgic views and negative delimitation or even distancing. Nonetheless, this globally polarizing issue represents a personal and quite emotional topic for Czech Jews and often for Czech mainstream society.
Antisemitism
The quality of life of the Czech Jewish diaspora has been after the Velvet revolution described as one the best in Europe, if not worldwide. Verbal or rather cyber Antisemitism is, in the long run, on relatively low levels, and physical attacks are almost nonexistent. Czech Jews are mostly rushing to confirm it; however, it is also necessary to determine their comparative framework and point of departure. It is pointless to emphasize that the Central European particular settings that emerged from 20th century disastrous ideologies may play a role in these highly favorable assessments that are being issued no matter how problematic the real circumstance might be.
In other words, Jews actively and publicly support the overwhelmingly positive non-xenophobic self-image of the majority society.
However, Jews are often perceived as a certain imaginary group by the majority of society rather than being acknowledged as a relevant segment of the population.
Methodology and Participants
The presented findings are based on long-term qualitative anthropological research on Czech Jewish identity that mainly occurred in 2014-2020. The study’s conceptual framework involves a hermeneutic-narrative approach using an emic perspective focusing primarily on the respondents’ own interpretations of the world and the reality surrounding them. The main methods applied to gather data are participant observation (for one decade since 2010), interview and follow-up socio-cultural analysis of accounts, and exploration of general printed and online Czech media sources with a special focus on the Jewish community. Altogether, 29 episodic interviews were conducted and analyzed.
Ethical Considerations
The interviews were processed in line with the demands of methodological reflexivity. Maximum emphasis was placed on respondents’ anonymity and emotional security.
