Unity between Czechs and Jews in fighting Hitlerism was stressed by Jan Masaryk, former Czechoslovak Minister to Britain and son of the Republic’s first President, when he was presented with a Bible last night by the Federation of Czechoslovak Jews at a benefit concert for refugees in the Phoenix Theater.
“We are victims of a bloody and deceitful man for no crime except that we lived in an exposed part of Europe,” Masaryk said. “The Jews are his victims. They are sons and daughters of a proud race. I do not wish to return to my country unless the Jews return with me. Czechs and Jews, united, will confront this bloody, deceitful man. I will devote myself to everything my father left me and to your cause.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.