Bejt Simcha [ House of Joy ]
Bejt Simcha [ House of Joy ] is a Reform Jewish community, whose activities are ideologically based on the conclusions of the so-called "Columbus Platform", Congress Reform rabbis from 1937, which was in many ways a return of the reform movement to the traditional version of Judaism.
We consider the Torah an endless resource of Jewish life, we commit to it and bring its orders into our lives.
WHAT WE DO
Our activities
Jewish year
Celebrations of Jewish holidays, commemorative events on behalf of an anniversary of important historical events is always accompanied with commentary of the history and significance of the memorable day.
Jewish Family
The cycle of activities designed to encourage the participation of entire families in the religious life of our community - which includes special children's services, celebration of festivals for children and creative workshops.
Maskil magazine
Jewish monthly magazine Maskil is distributed to all Jewish communities and other institutions in our country, members of Bejt Simcha and other individual subscribers; we distribute 600 copies with up to 24 pages per issue.
Maintenance of Jewish Heritage
Regular and occasional voluntary work at Jewish cemeteries (New Jewish Cemetery in Prague, Velký Pěčín in Telč) and other jewish monuments (farm-memorial of painter FM Nágl in industrial church, after the floods in Terezin, Prague's Jewish Quarter).
How our story began
Bejt Simcha community was originally formed around a group of Sylvie Wittmann in 1980. Sylvie organized more or less regular meetings, where they read and discussed Jewish literature, sang Jewish songs. After the Velvet Revolution, people around Sylvie Wittmann, rabbi Joan Friedman...