HYC was founded in 1934 in Tel Aviv by Dr. H. Ferbstein with branch offices in Jerusalem and Haifa and its main purpose was to preserve the legacy of the Czechoslovak Jews. After the arrival of more settlers from Czechoslovakia in 1935-36 and later in 1939, just before and after the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, the number of HYC members reached roughly 2,000. The main objective of the organization at that time was to provide direct assistance to newcomers, to integrate them into society and to promote the principles of Zionism. While this first wave of immigration came predominantly from the Czech Republic, after the Second World War it was mainly Jews from Slovakia who sought refuge in Israel.

In the years 1948 to 1950, up to 19,000 Jews came from Czechoslovakia to Israel, half of those who had managed to survive the Nazi concentration camps. During this period and further until 1977, Dr. J. Neuman was the chairman of the HYC. Under his administration, among other things, a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust - the Forest of Victims - was founded in the mountains of Jerusalem. On this site, every May, members of the HYC commemorate the tragic fate of Czechoslovak Jews during WWII. Cultural and social activities continued to be the primary focus, and this remained the case between 1978 and 1988 under the leadership of Dr. E. Frieder.

In 1988 the Association reformed its institutional structure. It now incorporates branches in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Netanya, Naharia and Beer Sheva. In order to preserve the cultural legacy of Czechoslovak Jewish identity, 20 organizations have come together under the supervision of the Hitachdut. In 1992 this organization included about 13,000 people. It brought together former Czechoslovak citizens living in Israel for the purpose of cultural, educational and social activities, and published a quarterly magazine Hazman haze (Our Time), edited by N. Steiner, whose words and photographs documented the activities of the HYC and provided information about upcoming events.

The HYC cooperated with Jewish organizations of the Czechoslovakian Jews who lived in other countries, especially in the USA. The First World Congress of Jews originating from Czechoslovakia took place on 26 May to 5 June 1990 and was attended by several thousand people, including the highest Israeli officials and the former President of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, Václav Havel.

Hitachdut currently has about 700 members, 90% of whom are from Slovakia. The distinctive characteristic is that the compatriots identify themselves first and foremost with Judaism and only secondly with their country of origin, in this case the Czech Republic. The younger generation considers themselves to be Israelis and are not interested in the activities of Hitachdut. After 1989, when Czech citizens began coming to Israel to study, Hitachdut established a tradition of wealthy members of the society offering scholarships to Czech and Slovak students. On the occasion of the holidays of Purim and Chanuka, the organization regularly organized a high value lottery, which profits were allocated to economically disadvantaged members and new expatriates from the Czech Republic. In 2001, Nathan Steiner, the then chairman of the organization, was awarded the MFA Gratias Agit award for his contributions to the development of Czech-Israeli relations.

Contact:
THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWS ORIGINATING FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA (HITACHDUT
YOTSEI CZECHOSLOVAKIA - HYC)
45 Bialik Street
52461 Ramat Gan
Tel: +972/3/5172 792, fax: +972/3/5162172, e-mail: csjews@bezeqint.net
Chairwoman: Erika Špitzová, Menachem Rosenberg
Office hours: Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday - 10:00-13:00
Representative for Haifa and the surrounding area: Erika Špitzová (tel: +972/4/8309000, fax:
972/4/8309111)
Publication activities of the association: newsletter Hazman Haze