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Old June 23rd, 2014 #74
alex revision
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Czech synagogues rise again after gift from Brussels

Decimated by the Holocaust, discriminated against under 40 years of Communism and now facing the rise of ultra-nationalist parties across Europe, the Czech Jewish community has been granted a new lease of life thanks to the EU co-funded project, dubbed “10 Stars”.

Thought to number only around 30,000, the community is poised to reopen 15 Jewish sites, mostly synagogues and schools, in 10 towns across the country.

“It’s a symbol of a revival of Jewish life,” Gary Koren, Israel’s ambassador to Prague, told AFP after the ceremony at the Brandys synagogue, which will be used for exhibitions and concerts.

Worth 10 million euros ($14 million), the project targets provincial Czech towns, shifting the focus from Prague’s famed Jewish Quarter — which receives around half a million visitors each year — to more rural areas.

The EU contributed 85 percent of regeneration funding, with the Czech government stumping up the rest.

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2014/06...from-brussels/