'As a Memorial to the Comedians There is a Lime Tree in the Meadow': A Case Study of the Šmíd Romani Family in Postwar Czechoslovakia

• In Event: Holocaust Remembrance of Roma and Sinti in Communist East Central Europe: Panel of the Prague Forum for Romani Histories

Abstract

The paper examines the position of the Šmíd Romani family members as long-term inhabitants of a Czech village, their racial persecution during the World War II, and their relations with the local community. It explores the actions of various actors and their coping after the war with the internment and loss of Romani family members. This includes a case-study analysis of activities during and after communism in Czechoslovakia that led to the commemoration of the victims of racial persecution.

Author

• Renata Berkyova, Institute of Contemporary History CAS (Czech Republic)