Ten new Stolpersteine (stumbling blocks) in memory of the Holocaust victims were laid on Monday in the streets of the town of Teplice in the Czech Republic outside houses in which Jews once lived.
Israeli Ambassador in Prague, Daniel Meron, said the paving stones should be a reminder and a warning since even now it is necessary to fight antisemitism and racism.
Teplice Mayor Jaroslav Kubera said bad things may happen again unless people keep remembering the tragic fates.
The Stolpersteine tradition was started by German artist Gunter Demnig in 1992. Tens of thousands of blocks with names and dates of birth and death and facts about the people’s deportations to Nazi-operated camps have been placed in pavements all over Europe since then.
Before World War Two, about 5,500 Jews lived in Teplice.
At present, the Jewish community in Teplice and its surroundings has 131 active members. The community’s head, Oldrich Latal, told CTK that the first 14 stepping stones were laid in Teplice in 2008. He said a further 20 stones are to be placed in the streets.
