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Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Executive Director of European Affairs Shannon Seban visited the Czech capital of Prague on Wednesday for a round of working meetings with political officials and Jewish community leaders.
At the Czech Parliament, Seban sat down with MP Patrik Nacher, a member of the Czech Republic–Israel Interparliamentary Group, and Petr Papoušek, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic (FJC) and vice president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC).
The agenda centered on the situation of Czech Jewry today, the rise of antisemitism across Europe, Holocaust remembrance, and collaborative initiatives to strengthen political engagement in efforts to counter Jew-hatred.
One project discussed was an upcoming special parliamentary tribute to the 129 Czech citizens recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem for risking their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust, when Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany.
The event is to take place on November 9, which will mark the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”).
🇨🇿 À Prague, aujourd’hui, réunion de travail au Parlement tchèque avec le député @PatrikNacher, engagé de longue date dans la lutte contre l’antisémitisme et Petr Papoušek, président de la Fédération des communautés juives de République tchèque.
Un échange d’autant plus… pic.twitter.com/YK923DKFr6
— Shannon Seban (@ShannonSeban) August 19, 2026
Seban, joined by Papoušek, also met with Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda and President of the Jewish Community of Prague (JCP) Pavel Král. The meeting focused on the fight against contemporary antisemitism, the importance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, and how Prague municipal authorities can work closely with the Jewish community and international partners to secure and nurture Jewish life in the city.
Merci au maire de Prague @BohuslavSvoboda pour son accueil si chaleureux ! 🙏
Au @CombatASemitism, nous plaçons l’accompagnement des maires et des élus locaux au cœur de notre action, convaincus qu’une grande partie du combat contre l’antisémitisme et le racisme se joue à… pic.twitter.com/0cTCdjYr2D
— Shannon Seban (@ShannonSeban) August 20, 2026
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.
“The Czech Republic has an extraordinary Jewish history, but Jewish life in Europe cannot be reduced to museums, memorials and commemorations of the past,” Seban stated. “Prague is still home to a vibrant Jewish community — and our responsibility is to make sure it remains so.”
“Europe is at a turning point,” she emphasized. “Antisemitism is not only rising again — in some circles, it is becoming fashionable, socially acceptable and increasingly normalized. We cannot solemnly remember the Jews who were persecuted yesterday while remaining silent when Jews are intimidated, targeted, or told to hide who they are today.”
“Remembering the past is meaningless if we refuse to recognize its warnings in the present,” Seban said. “Holocaust remembrance must come with responsibility — the responsibility to act, to confront antisemitism without excuses or political convenience, and to ensure that Europe does not become a continent that remembers its dead Jews while failing to protect its living ones.”
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