We are happy to share some special news with you — today marks our 25th anniversary!
Since our founding in 2000, we have become a key institution supporting care for Holocaust survivors, the restoration of Jewish heritage sites, education on Holocaust, Jewish studies, and the development of Jewish communities. Most recently, we have also begun funding security measures for Jewish communities across the Czech Republic.
We will celebrate our 25th anniversary at our annual New Year’s benefit evening, held just before the Jewish New Year. The proceeds from the event will go toward supporting care for Holocaust survivors. Please save the date: the event will take place on September 18, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Klausen Synagogue.
You can find more information in our press release.
Holocaust Victims Foundation: 25 Years of Addressing the Injustices of the Past and Working Toward a Better Future
Prague, 30 July 2025 – On 31 July 2025, the Holocaust Victims Foundation marks 25 years of its work. Since its establishment in 2000, the foundation has become a key institution supporting care for Holocaust survivors, the restoration of Jewish heritage sites, Holocaust education, Jewish learning, and the development of Jewish communities. More recently, it has also begun funding security measures for Jewish communities across the Czech Republic.
The Foundation for Holocaust Victims (the FHV) was established on 31 July 2000 by the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, based on the recommendations of the Joint Working Commission for the Mitigation of Certain Property Injustices Incurred by Holocaust Victims.
In its early years, from 2001 to 2005, the Foundation administered the Compensation Program, through which it distributed a total of CZK 100 million in compensation to individuals whose real estate had been confiscated in what is now the Czech Republic due to racial persecution by Nazi Germany during the occupation, and who were not eligible for restitution under existing laws or international agreements.
The Foundation for Holocaust Victims is primarily funded by the state. In 2000, the Government of the Czech Republic allocated CZK 300 million to the Foundation from the National Property Fund. In December 2014, the Foundation signed a long-term cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. Based on this agreement—endorsed by successive Czech governments and amended over time—the Foundation receives an annual state subsidy, subject to meeting the required conditions. Its activities are also supported by private donations.
Between 2002 and 2024, the Foundation allocated CZK 107.7 million to support priority care for Holocaust survivors, CZK 218.3 million to the restoration and maintenance of Jewish heritage sites in Bohemia and Moravia, CZK 37.4 million to education, research, and remembrance of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma, and CZK 18.6 million to Jewish education and community development. Since 2013, it has also supported projects for the youngest members of the Jewish community with CZK 5.1 million. As of 2024, it has begun funding the security of Jewish communities and the Federation itself, contributing CZK 6.5 million.
This year, the Foundation is financed by a grant from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic in the amount of CZK 33,267,000.
In addition to supporting external projects, the Foundation for Holocaust Victims also organizes its own activities. These include professional seminars for social workers and caregivers, training sessions for teachers of Judaism and community workers in Jewish organizations, as well as community events such as discussion cafés, celebrations of Jewish holidays, and volunteer clean-up efforts at Jewish cemeteries. The Foundation also plays an active role in education and in commemorating the memory of Holocaust victims.
“The 25-year activity of the Foundation for Holocaust Victims is an excellent example of successful cooperation between the state and the nonprofit sector. It is also internationally recognized as a model of how a state can provide effective, efficient, and consistent support in preserving Jewish cultural heritage. I believe the Foundation will continue its important work just as successfully in the years to come,” remarked Michal Klíma, Chairman of the Board of Directors.
