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At a historic event in Prague on Monday, the Parliament of the Czech Republic paid official tribute for the first time to the 129 Czech citizens recognized by Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations” for risking their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
The gathering — organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic (FJC) — coincided with the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”), the violent state-sponsored pogrom across Nazi Germany that presaged the Holocaust.
Guests included Czech lawmakers and government officials, diplomats, and Jewish community representatives.
First Deputy Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Patrik Nacher said the program held a “deeply personal dimension” for him.
“A significant portion of my own family was murdered in the Treblinka concentration camp,” he noted. “This makes me all the more keenly aware that behind every historical statistic, figure, and name lie real human stories and destinies.”
“Today, the Czech ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ serve not only as a reminder of courage and humanity, but also as an inspiration for us to become more tolerant, more empathetic, and better human beings ourselves,” Nacher emphasized.
Referring to the “Righteous Among the Nations,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman also highlighted his own family’s Holocaust history, saying, “I am standing here because people like them opened a door for my family. Both of my grandparents were children in Nazi-occupied Belgium. People who were not Jewish hid them. They cared for them. They kept them safe until liberation. They never asked for anything in return.”
“Each of us knows that quiet moment when we see something wrong,” he said. “We look around. We wonder who else will speak. That is the moment when each of us has a choice. When someone repeats a lie about Jews at your own dinner table, speak up. When a Jewish child is threatened at school, be the adult who steps in. When a Jewish neighbor tells you they are afraid, ask what they need. Then show up.”
Roytman concluded, “The next time you see a person in danger, you may be the person they are counting on. Find that light within you. And when the moment comes, have the courage to open the door.”
CAM Executive Director of European Affairs Shannon Seban said, “We chose to answer darkness with light. Here in Prague, we honor the Righteous Among the Nations’ who, when hatred demanded silence, chose courage. When the world turned away, they chose humanity.”
“At a time when antisemitism is rising, we must give more light to those who once risked everything to save a life,” she added. “Whoever saves one life saves an entire world. And those who saved lives must never be forgotten.”
Other speakers included: Holocaust survivor Michaela Vidláková; FJC President Petr Papoušek; Israeli Ambassador to the Czech Republic Amir Weissbrod; President of Czech Union of Jewish Youth (ČUŽM) Eliáš Rosenbaum; and Czech Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Combating Antisemitism, and Freedom of Religion Ambassador Robert Řehák.
Descendants of Czech “Righteous Among the Nations” who were recognized at the event included Alena Drmolová, granddaughter of Bohuslav and Olga Čepek, and Daniela Vyzvaldová, daughter of Anna Binder-Urbanová.
The Czech Republic’s Jewish community has 3,000 officially registered members, and an estimated 10,000-20,000 people of Jewish origin live in the country.
It is generally thought of as one of the safest nations for Jews in modern-day Europe, although a 8.5% annual increase in antisemitic incidents was recorded in 2024 in the aftermath of the October 7th massacre in Israel.
In 2025, the Czech government adopted a new five-year National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism.
We need courageous people today to stand against hatred & antisemitism as the #RighteousAmongtheNations did! At Parliament with @PatrikNacher, @ShannonSeban & @AmirwWeissbrod honoring those who chose humanity over complicity. #StopAntisemitism #FoRB https://t.co/84sVRrmkAz
— Robert Řehák (@Robert_Rehak) November 10, 2026
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