Archivist on a Bicycle: Jiri Fiedler
Archivist on a Bicycle is a tribute to Jirí Fiedler, a Czech Protestant, who for most of his life documented extinct Bohemian and Moravian Jews at great danger to himself. His day job was as a children's book editor; his passion was mapping and archiving the sites of Jewish life in the Czech lands. From the 1970s through 2014, he was an invaluable source for scholars, genealogists, museum curators -- anyone in the world interested in Czech Jews. Jirí rarely talked about what he called his "strange hobby," but viewed it as a decent person's response to Nazism and Communism. After the Velvet Revolution, he published Jewish Sights in Bohemia and Moravia and more than one hundred scholarly articles and reviews. His electronic encyclopedia of Jewish communities at the Jewish Museum of Prague contains 1,670 entries. The writers, translators, and publisher have honored Fiedler's spirit by making this collection of essays available "for free."
"Archivist on a Bicycle is a very special work. Jirí Fiedler was the self-commissioned historian of the Czech Jewish community compiling a vast personal archive before such memory was fashionable, before indeed it was acceptable. Essay after essay in this collection describes his mission and his struggle. The result is a rare insight into life in Czechoslovakia under Communist domination and in the post-Communist era. Fiedler was a man of uncompromising integrity, a 'moral man in an immoral society.' I read this book with tears and a smile, with growing admiration and unending gratitude." -- Michael Berenbaum, Professor of Jewish Studies and former Director of the Holocaust Research Institute, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
"Conducting research on bygone Jewish sites during socialism was a lonely and dangerous hobby: by remembering Fiedler's dedication and ethics, Archivist on Bicycle offers a history of postwar Czechoslovakia, Jewish history read against the grain, but also shows, with Havel, the power of the powerless. This lovely, funny, sad book commemorates an eminent scholar of Czech Jewish history." -- Dr. Anna Hájková, University of Warwick
"Archivist on a Bicycle is a moving and informative tribute to a scholar and fine human being whose tireless efforts enriched our knowledge about the presence of Jews in the Czech Lands. His research and generous help enabled others to follow." -- Dr. Michael Riff, Director, The Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Ramapo College of New Jersey
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"Archivist on a Bicycle is a very special work. Jirí Fiedler was the self-commissioned historian of the Czech Jewish community compiling a vast personal archive before such memory was fashionable, before indeed it was acceptable. Essay after essay in this collection describes his mission and his struggle. The result is a rare insight into life in Czechoslovakia under Communist domination and in the post-Communist era. Fiedler was a man of uncompromising integrity, a 'moral man in an immoral society.' I read this book with tears and a smile, with growing admiration and unending gratitude." -- Michael Berenbaum, Professor of Jewish Studies and former Director of the Holocaust Research Institute, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
"Conducting research on bygone Jewish sites during socialism was a lonely and dangerous hobby: by remembering Fiedler's dedication and ethics, Archivist on Bicycle offers a history of postwar Czechoslovakia, Jewish history read against the grain, but also shows, with Havel, the power of the powerless. This lovely, funny, sad book commemorates an eminent scholar of Czech Jewish history." -- Dr. Anna Hájková, University of Warwick
"Archivist on a Bicycle is a moving and informative tribute to a scholar and fine human being whose tireless efforts enriched our knowledge about the presence of Jews in the Czech Lands. His research and generous help enabled others to follow." -- Dr. Michael Riff, Director, The Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Ramapo College of New Jersey
Archivist on a Bicycle: Jiri Fiedler
Archivist on a Bicycle is a tribute to Jirí Fiedler, a Czech Protestant, who for most of his life documented extinct Bohemian and Moravian Jews at great danger to himself. His day job was as a children's book editor; his passion was mapping and archiving the sites of Jewish life in the Czech lands. From the 1970s through 2014, he was an invaluable source for scholars, genealogists, museum curators -- anyone in the world interested in Czech Jews. Jirí rarely talked about what he called his "strange hobby," but viewed it as a decent person's response to Nazism and Communism. After the Velvet Revolution, he published Jewish Sights in Bohemia and Moravia and more than one hundred scholarly articles and reviews. His electronic encyclopedia of Jewish communities at the Jewish Museum of Prague contains 1,670 entries. The writers, translators, and publisher have honored Fiedler's spirit by making this collection of essays available "for free."
"Archivist on a Bicycle is a very special work. Jirí Fiedler was the self-commissioned historian of the Czech Jewish community compiling a vast personal archive before such memory was fashionable, before indeed it was acceptable. Essay after essay in this collection describes his mission and his struggle. The result is a rare insight into life in Czechoslovakia under Communist domination and in the post-Communist era. Fiedler was a man of uncompromising integrity, a 'moral man in an immoral society.' I read this book with tears and a smile, with growing admiration and unending gratitude." -- Michael Berenbaum, Professor of Jewish Studies and former Director of the Holocaust Research Institute, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
"Conducting research on bygone Jewish sites during socialism was a lonely and dangerous hobby: by remembering Fiedler's dedication and ethics, Archivist on Bicycle offers a history of postwar Czechoslovakia, Jewish history read against the grain, but also shows, with Havel, the power of the powerless. This lovely, funny, sad book commemorates an eminent scholar of Czech Jewish history." -- Dr. Anna Hájková, University of Warwick
"Archivist on a Bicycle is a moving and informative tribute to a scholar and fine human being whose tireless efforts enriched our knowledge about the presence of Jews in the Czech Lands. His research and generous help enabled others to follow." -- Dr. Michael Riff, Director, The Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Ramapo College of New Jersey
"Archivist on a Bicycle is a very special work. Jirí Fiedler was the self-commissioned historian of the Czech Jewish community compiling a vast personal archive before such memory was fashionable, before indeed it was acceptable. Essay after essay in this collection describes his mission and his struggle. The result is a rare insight into life in Czechoslovakia under Communist domination and in the post-Communist era. Fiedler was a man of uncompromising integrity, a 'moral man in an immoral society.' I read this book with tears and a smile, with growing admiration and unending gratitude." -- Michael Berenbaum, Professor of Jewish Studies and former Director of the Holocaust Research Institute, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
"Conducting research on bygone Jewish sites during socialism was a lonely and dangerous hobby: by remembering Fiedler's dedication and ethics, Archivist on Bicycle offers a history of postwar Czechoslovakia, Jewish history read against the grain, but also shows, with Havel, the power of the powerless. This lovely, funny, sad book commemorates an eminent scholar of Czech Jewish history." -- Dr. Anna Hájková, University of Warwick
"Archivist on a Bicycle is a moving and informative tribute to a scholar and fine human being whose tireless efforts enriched our knowledge about the presence of Jews in the Czech Lands. His research and generous help enabled others to follow." -- Dr. Michael Riff, Director, The Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Ramapo College of New Jersey
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Archivist on a Bicycle: Jiri Fiedler
Archivist on a Bicycle: Jiri Fiedler
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940151143387 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Plunkett Lake Press |
| Publication date: | 07/21/2015 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Sales rank: | 289,597 |
| File size: | 5 MB |
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