Prague Jewish Museum reopens after preparing for floods

Director says basement cleared of books and other artifacts that could be ruined; no damage reported to the city’s Jewish buildings or heritage sites

JTA — The Jewish Museum in Prague reopened after shutting down a day to prepare for possible floods.

“We cleared out the basement of books and other artifacts which could be damaged in case of a flood,” museum director Leo Pavlat told JTA on Tuesday.

The museum was closed Monday to prepare for floods that have killed 10 people in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany and Switzerland, according to the French news agency AFP.

Heavy rainfall has caused the floods that have deluged the Czech capital’s historic center, triggering memories of the 2002 floods that killed dozens in the region, including 17 in the Czech Republic.

Fire brigades had evacuated 8,340 people in the Czech Republic, according to AFP.

None of the city’s Jewish buildings or heritage sites have been damaged in any serious way, according to Pavlat.

“In our experience from 2002, the most vulnerable places were the underground floors of the museum, so we took precautions, but we are very glad to have opened for business as usual today,” Pavlat said.

Pavlat said he was not aware of serious damage to Jewish heritage sites outside Prague.

Mirka Poskocilova of the Jewish community of Decin, a city in the northern Czech Republic on the banks of the flooded Elbe River, said the local synagogue is built on a hill and was not in danger of being flooded.