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This project seeks to collect all of the Jewish families from the town of Hoštice, Bohemia in the Czech Republic.
In 2019 the Vice Mayor of Hoštice is Jan Hais. He recently sent a large number of photos from the Jewish Cemetery there. His email is: Jan.Hais@seznam.cz If you can read Yiddish and can make out the words on any of the headstones, translations would be most welcome. Feel free to add to the photo descriptions what you can. Thank you, Susan Weidenthal Saltzman
Mr Hais' message:
Hello Mrs. Saltzman, I took some photos from places, which are interesting for you (but for me too). In Jewish cemetery I took detail photos of all tombstones, but I think many of them are missing and most of them are not in their original places. Some of the tombstones are legible, others can not be read. The village of Hoštice has only 150 inhabitants. I visited Mr. Josef Matoušek and his wife Jana (photo no. 5). They live in "Weidenthal" house. They send greetings to you.
Describe of photos: No. 1: The synagogue (the synagogue is the building behind the tree) No. 2: The synagogue (from right side) No. 3: The synagogue (look inside where you can see how poor condition the building is) No. 4: The castle (built in 1670) No. 5: Mr. Josef Matoušek with his wife Jana Matoušková (he was born in 1933, she in 1930) No. 11: "Weidenthal" house No. 12: View from window to the roof of syngogue No. 20-84: Jewish cemetery (I think most tombstones are not in their original places and many are missing) No. 85: View from Jewish cemetery to south (with town of Volyně) No. 87-88: View from Kalný hill to south - No 87, and to southwest (Hoštice and Volyně) No. 89: View from Sosnovec hill to southwest
I believe this information and photos will help you to know, where your family lived. Unfortunately this house is for many years not inhabited and his condition is bad. The Jewish cemetery is also in poor condition. Is owned by the Jewish community of Prague. In the past, I contacted the Jewish community Prague with the possibility of cooperation of the village Hoštice (Hostitz) on his renewal but it was not interested by the Jewish community Prague.
Jan Hais
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The following information is from a photocopy the Balch Institute made for the submitter 15 years ago. Unfortunately, they did not write the reference on the photocopy but they said it was a from a book written in the 1920s or 1930 by a person who visited many small Jewish settlements in Central Europe. The original text of the photocopy was in Czech - many thanks to Eugen Stein for the initial translation.
HISTORY: According to the records in the Register it is likely, that in Hostice by Volyne were settled a number of Jewish families. This is supported by the evidence that the Jews of Hostice had their own synagogue and graveyard. Over time, the living conditions in this small Jewish community deteriorated and a natural emigration began. When there were no conditions for further existence of the community (Jewish ? or general? it is not clear from the text), the community was abolished.
NOTABLE RESIDENTS AND DESCENDANTS: Names of families and individuals that settled in Hostice in the past -
Kafka, Karel Weidental, Josef Bloch, Markus Lowy Gans, ucitel, Weigel, Jakub Weil, Marcus Skall, Abraham Bitternamm, Leopold Kohn, Pereles, Ruben Abeles, Abraham Meller, knihar, Karel Kohn, Izak Weil, Moses Bittermann, Benjamin Voticky.
The 1934 book “Jewish Communities of Bohemia” provides a little information about “Hostice near Volyn” mentioning the names Karel Weidenthal, Leopold Kohn and Karel Kohn in the list of families that at one time lived in Hostice.
SYNAGOGUES: The synagogue and graveyard were taken over by the Jewish congregation of Volyne on January 30. 1899. The synagogue was sold to private citizens, Izak and Johanne Weil, for 20 Guildens. The Volyne congregation stipulated that a condition (servitut) be put in the land register: should the synagogue be demolished in the future, then, so the ground would not be desecrated, on the location of the synagogue nothing other than a garden would be built. Since June 3, 1902 the property has belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Trejbal, who accepted this condition in their deed.
CEMETERIES: The community of Volyne looks after the graveyard; however, the walls and the tombstones are in such poor condition that they are impossible to repair.
David Attride, Jonesborough, Tennessee. E-Mail: dattride@mounet.com
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HOSTICE: Hoštice u Volyně, Strakonice, Bohemia Hoštice, 49°12' N 13°55' E, 66.2 miles SSW of Praha. Cemetery webpage: https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDidovsk%C3%BD_h%C5%99bitov_v_Ho%...
Hosticka Jewish community ceased to exist under the Act of 1890
Website in Czech with photo: landmarked and freely accessible "The cemetery is located 1 km NW of the village on a hillside on the edge of the forest. Founded later than the second quarter of the 18th century, burials continued to the 19th century. 543 m2. 50 visible tombstones dating 1735 to the 19th century. Until the end of 1990s, maintenance had no financial resources. In 2000 reconstruction of the cemetery started including removing dense foliage and start to repair quarry stone wall. At present, ongoing maintenance is needed to complete repairs and the wall and righting of a few fallen tombstones." [Sept 2011]
Herman, John. Jewish Cemeteries in Bohemia and Moravia. 1st New York: Council of Jewish Communities in Czechoslovakia. Year not specified. 104 p.
(Also used the cemetery at Volyne) "The small village Hoštice lies about 3 km north of the town of Volyně and about 7 km south of the town Strakonice.The village was under the ownership of the Lords of Hoštice in the 13th century. Hoštice became popular in the last quarter of the 20th century due to the series of films "Slunce, seno, ..." ("Sun, hay, ...") taking place in the village and its surroundings.The ... sights in the village are the Church of the Nativity of Virgin Mary from the 16th century with a cemetery and the Baroque chateau from the 18th century. Several houses with Baroque gables have been preserved ... Jewish cemetery from the 18th century can be found on the slopes of the Kalný hill (634 m) about 2 km NW of the village. [February 2009]
US Commission No. CZCE000273:
Alternate name: Hungarian-Histitz. Town is located in Strakonice, Bohemia at 49º12 13º54, 7 km S of Strakonice. Location of cemetery: 750 meters NW of Catholic Church. Present population is under 1,000 with no Jews.
Town: Obecni urad, 387 01 Volyne; tel. 0342/951-31. Regional: 1. Okresni Urad, Referat Kultury, 386 01 Strakonice; tel. 0342/242-20; 2. Jewish Congregation: Jewish Congregation: ZNO Praha (Ms. Jana Wolfova), Maislova 18, 110 01 Praha 1; tel. 02/2316925; and 3. Pamatkovy ustav, namesti Premysla Otakara 34, 370 21 Ceske Budejovice; tel. 038/237-92. Interested: 1. Statni Zidovske Muzeum, Jachmova 3, 110 01 Praha 1; tel. 02/231-06-34; 2. Muzeum stredniho Pootavi, hrad, 386 11 Strakonice; 3. Regional historian: Vladimir Braun, 387 01 Volyne 14; 4. Mestske Muzeum, Skolni 112, 387 01 Volyne; tel. 0342/952-12 and 5. Local historian: Jiri Christ, Hostice 76, 387 01 Volyne.
Earliest known Jewish community was 1724, a recorded prayer house. 1930 Jewish population was 0. 11-13 families were permitted in first half of 19th century (91 people, 30% of total population in 1828). They moved to big towns in second half of 19th century. The synagogue closed and congregation disbanded at the end of the 19th century. Last Jews left Hostice in 1902. The unlandmarked cemetery originated 1725 and 1735 with last known Jewish burial probably late 19th century. The Jewish community was Conservative. Between fields and woods, the flat and isolated site has no sign. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open with permission with a broken masonry wall, last repaired in 1934-35. The cemetery has no gate now but a nice iron gate existed in 1981. Size of cemetery before and after WWII: 0.0543 ha.
50 gravestones, 1-20 not in original location and 50%-75% toppled or broken. The oldest known legible gravestone is 1735. The 18th and 19th century marble, granite, and sandstone flat shaped stones or flat stones with carved relief decoration have Hebrew inscriptions. The cemetery contains no known mass graves. Prague Jewish community owns Jewish cemetery. Adjacent properties are agricultural and woods. Rarely, private visitors and local residents stop. Local non-Jewish residents cleared vegetation about 1987 but no care or maintenance now. Within the limits of the cemetery are no structures. Security (uncontrolled access to secluded spot) is a serious threat. Vandalism and vegetation are moderate threats. Weather erosion and pollution are slight threats.
Martina Chmelikova, Nad Ondrejovem 16, 140 00 Praha 4; tel. 02/69-20-350 and Jiri Fiedler, z"l, Brdickova 1916, 155 00 Praha 5; tel. 02/55-33-40 completed survey on 8 November 1992. Documentation: 1. Censuses of 1724, 1828, and 1930. 2. Notes of Statni Zidovske Muzeum Praha-1960s. 3. J. Herman: Jewish Cemeteries in Bohemia and Moravia (1980). 4. Die Juden and Judengemeinden Bohemens (1934). 5. Letter of V. Braun (1981) and letter of historian J. Christ (1983). Other documentation exists but was inaccessible: No. 26 in archives of Praha Jewish Congregation. M. Chmelikova, who conducted no interviews, visited site in June 1992.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 20 September 2011 International Jewish Cemetery Project International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies https://www.iajgsjewishcemeteryproject.org/czech-republic/hostice.html
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http://www.toledot.org/ihbf120.htm
FAMILIANT BOOK of Region Prachensky
Villages: Nalzovy, Elcovice, Zdikov, Hartmanice, Brezi, Horazdovice, Hostice
ABELLES ADLER ARNSTEIN BERGLER BLOCH BORGES DUSCHNER EISNER FANTEL FISCHEL FISCHER FLEISCHMANN FRISCHA FUCHS FÜRTH HAHN LASCHANSKY LEDERER LÖWY KAFKA KLAUBNER KOHN MELLER MORGENSTERN OFFNER PERGLER PERLES PISECKY POPPER PORGES ROSENAUER SATTEL SCHACK SCHWARZ SKALL SOMMER SPIRO STEINER STERN TREICHLINGER WEIGEL WEIL WEIS WEIDENTHAL WOTICZKY