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Why did so much Judaica survive The Shoah?

May 2026

Whether the Nazis planned to create a Museum of an Extinct Race after their winning the war, or the Jewish community persuaded the Nazis, it is unlikely we shall ever know for certain, with many historians holding different opinions.

What is important is that over 200,000 Jewish artifacts were collected and shipped from 118 towns in Bohemia and Moravia to the Central Jewish Museum (now known as the Jewish Museum Prague). These items were documented and catalogued by Jewish curators and librarians, few of whom survived the war.

The MST was privileged to participate in a moving service at the Klausen synagogue in Prague to honour the memory of those murdered who had worked in the museum. Afterwards a memorial listing the names was unveiled in the old cemetery.

The event organised by the Jewish Museum Prague, led by Director Pavla Niklova. In attendance were a number of descendants of those who worked at the museum during the war.