On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of his birth, Thomas G. Masaryk, founder and first president of the Republic of Czechoslovakia, was eulogized by the American Jewish Committee “as one of history’s great fighters in the cause of individual liberty.”
Jacob Blaustein, president of the Committee, pointed out in a statement that American Jews were among Dr. Masaryk’s firmest supporters in his struggle to achieve independence for Czechoslovakia. “In 1918, Louis Marshall, then president of the American Jewish Committee, worked closely with him, and Justice Louis D. Brandeis helped him draft, on American soil, the historic proclamation of Czechoslovak independence.
“The trust and friendship which rarked the American Jewish Committee’s earliest relations with Thomas G. Masaryk were continued with Masaryk’s distinguished disciples, President Edouard Benes and the great statesman’s son, Jan Masaryk, both of whom followed their ideals to ultimate martyrdom,” the statement said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.