EVENT DETAILS

The aim of the Days of Prague was to present the Israeli audience the best of the Czech culture in

various levels of art. As it often happens to extraordinary places, many people could perceive Prague

only as a beautiful historical monument and a touristic site (over eighty thousand Israeli tourists come

every year for a long-stay visit to Prague) – we wanted to complement this perspective and show also

another face of Prague: a city of dynamic and turbulent cultural life and modern artistic approaches. Days

of Prague brought to Jerusalem a unique theatre performance by Forman Brothers Theater, a modern

dance company DOT 504, an extraordinary jazz formation of Israeli and Czech musicians lead by Jaroslav

Jakubovic, special multimedia Czech-American project Defiant Requiem – Terezin Remembered, several

exhibitions and much more. All together 135 Czech artists and performers participated and over 15.000

direct visitors attended the events of the Days of Prague.

LOGO

PARTNERS

The project Days of Prague was prepared by the Embassy of the Czech Republic together with the Prague

and Jerusalem Municipalities, Israel Festival and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic with the

support of the Czech Centres, Israeli-Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCCI), Staropramen,

Skoda (Champion Motors) and Czech Airlines, Prague ZOO, Gallery of Jaroslav Fragner, Military History

Institute Prague, Defiant Requiem Foundation and Little Prague. The overall budget of the Days of Prague

was 11.445.000, - CZK, out of which 34% were covered by the City of Prague, Czech Government and the

Parliament of the Czech Republic.

ADVERTISING, PROMOTION AND DISTRIBUTION

The event was effectively and widely advertised through different channels and PR and marketing tools.

Days of Prague were promoted in the major newspaper and cultural magazines. The information about

the event had been distributed through the social networks such as Facebook, Twitter as well as via

mailing lists and databases of the Embassy of the Czech Republic, Israeli Czech Chamber of Commerce

and Industry, Czech Center Tel Aviv etc. There was also a massive outdoor campaign in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem

and Haifa.

Posters and flyers with a very pleasing and smart design were distributed all over the cities of Tel Aviv and

Jerusalem. The design of the posters was made with the intention to address young and middle-aged

audience and to show Prague in the light people usually are not used to see the city.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

The promotion of the event was split between three PR agencies. The first one focused on the PR

in all important Israeli media, organized the press conference at the Czech Embassy in Tel Aviv and in

the Jerusalem Theater, and was present at all events communicated with journalists and assisted at

networking. The second agency addressed the large Israeli-Russian community through the Russian

media. The last one was in charge of promotion of the Defiant Requiem and the Exhibition Assassination

of Reinhard Heydrich. The overall aim was to cover the Days of Prague by all Israeli media, create a buzz

and make it visible.

MEDIA MONITORING

see attached Press kit

OVERVIEW

Printed media

HEBREW: Ha‘aretz, Yediot Achronot, Israel Today, Maariv, The Globes, Calalist, Time Out, Mouse in Town,

Pnayi Plus, Makor Rishon

ENGLISH: Ha‘aretz, JerusalemPost, Time Out

RUSSIAN: Tarbut ru, Vesty, Novosty Nedeli, Sputnik, Globus

Radio

HEBREW: Kol Israel, Reshet Bet, Radio Jerusalem, Galei Tsahal

RUSSIAN: Radio Rishon, Radio REKA

TV

HEBREW: CH1, CH2, CH7, CH10

RUSSIAN: CH9

Websites

HEBREW: YNET, Walla, Mouse Online, Ha‘aretz, J-post, Nrg, Nana, Mako, specific blogs and sites

RUSSIAN: Mignews, Cursorinfo, Sedmoi Kanal, Potrebitel

Social networks / Facebook

Facebook page Days of Prague was created and advertised with an ad on the Facebook network. It has

reached 1000 “likes” and thus a sizeable community of friends and subscribes has developed. Through the

facebook page events, photos and teasers were published. Facebook is very popular in Israel, therefore a

very good and cost effective tool for advertising and spreading information.

Other

Various groups and organization such as Omanoot – Israel Through Art, Tel Aviv International, Study in

Tel Aviv, Time Out Tel Aviv, EU in Israel, Israeli Tourist Association, Russian social networks, Aurismedia

production etc. shared the information about Days of Prague and help to promote it via their pages,

websites, newsletters etc.

FIGURES

EVENT NUMBER OF PERFORMANCES

DIRECTATTENDANCE

VENUE

Forman Brothers Theater 9 1350 Jerusalem Theater Square

DOT 504 - Ma Hunt 2 500 Jerusalem TheaterIsrael Arts and Science Academy

Jaroslav Jakubovic and friends 2 1000 Jerusalem Theater Jazz clubBen Shetach Street, Jerusalem

Defiant Requiem 1 2800 Jerusalem Convention Center

Prague Panoramic 3 weeks 2500 Jerusalem Theater Lobby

Prague ZOO 3 months 2000 Biblical ZOO Jerusalem

Prague Functionalism 1 month 1000 Bauhaus Center Tel Aviv

Kuhn Choir 1 450 Jerusalem Theater

Exhibition Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich

3 weeks3 weeks1 month

Knesset - JerusalemRafael Ltd. - North IsraelDvora Fischer Galllery - Tel Aviv

Czech Culinary Days 3 300 Little Prague Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Ashdod

Reception 1 200 Jerusalem Theater Lobby

DAYS OF PRAGUE 15100

BUDGET

INSTITUTION COSTS (CZK) PERCENT

Israel Festival 4.000.000,- 35

Defiant Requiem Foundation 2.010.000,- 17,6

City of Prague 2.000.000,- 17,5

Israeli Government 1.000.000,- 8,7

Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic 700.000,- 6

Parliament of the Czech Republic 550.000,- 4,8

Staropramen and other business sponsors 410.000,- 3,6

Czech Center Tel Aviv 375.000,- 3,3

Military History Institute Prague 250.000,- 2,2

Israeli Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry 100.000,- 0,9

Embassy of the Czech Republic in Tel Aviv 50.000,- 0,4

TOTAL BUDGET 11.445.000,- 100

PUBLIC / PRIVATE FINANCING

INSTITUTION COSTS (CZK) PERCENT

City of Prague 2.000.000,- 17,5

Czech Governement / Parliament of the Czech Republic 1.925.000,- 16,8

Israeli Government 1.000.000,- 8,7

Other donors and partners 6.520.000,- 57

TOTAL 11.445.000,- 100

EVALUATION

The project was well received by the Israeli media and had a very good response from the Israeli public.

As a result of the multifaceted structure of the project we managed to address a large scale of audience

and public. The most visible and attractive was The Forman Brothers´ Theatre not only for its nature but

also for the location in front of the Jerusalem Theatre. It was presented as a part of the Israel Festival in the

framework of the Days of Prague. The reception of “Obludarium“, sold out every night, was spectacular: an

excellent media coverage evaluated the performance as the performance of the season and prestigious

theatre critics awarded five stars out of five.

Defiant Requiem was an absolutely unique experience for the Israeli audience of 2800 people. An

extremely complex and highly demanding project brought together an Israeli Orchestra, Czech Choir and

an American conductor in order to commemorate the victims of Terezin. The project was mentioned in

many important media and attended by important representatives of Israeli public life. A special greeting

was sent by the Israeli prime minister.

Other events which formed the rest of the whole project were also well received and the overall response

from the Israeli public was extremely positive. Based on the reactions (newspaper, Facebook, word of

mouth) the awareness of the Czech culture and its diversity grew substantially.

What was most important in planning and implementing the project was the cooperation with the local

cultural operators and administration and a positive ongoing communication with the media.

Defiant Requiem - Terezin RememberedDate: 31. 5. 2012 at 20:00Venue: International Convention Center, JerusalemAttendance: 2800 (sold out)Sponsors and partners: Speaker of Czech Parliament, Defiant Requiem Foundation, Israel Festival

Conductor: Murry Sidlin Orchestra: The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, IBA Choir: Kuhn Choir, Prague Soloists: Ira Bertman, Bracha Kol, Willa B. Perlmutter, Yotam Cohen, Assaf LevitinActors: Yona Elian, Sasson Gabai

A dramatic concert conducted by Murry Sidlin, who also wrote the accompanying texts. This requiem tells the story of the courageous Jewish prisoners at the Terezin concentration camp during the Second World War, who performed Verdi‘s famous requiem while struggling to survive the terrible suffering and humiliation of the war. This unique event combines Giuseppe Verdi‘s sublime music with filmed testimonies given by the survivors who participated in those concentration-camp concerts. The concert also includes footage from Nazi propaganda films produced during that period in order to prove to the world that Terezin was the site of a vibrant cultural life. This production at the Israel Festival took place with the participation of the actors Yona Elianand Sasson Gabai who told the story of the prisoners at this famous camp, where tens of thousands of Jews arrived before being sent to the Nazi extermination camps.

„This is the first time we are bringing Defiant Requiem to Israel, and this is a very serious test for us. The music here is in the service of the memory; we are telling the story of people‘s fight for their dignity, being hungry and sick in the ghetto of Terezin.“ Murray Sidlin

Forman Brothers Theater / Obludarium Date: 27. 5.– 6.6. 2012 Venue: Jerusalem Theater SquareNumber of performances: 9Attendance: 1.350 (sold out)Sponsors and partners: Staropramen, Israel Festival

Director: Petr Forman Choreographer: Veronika Svabova Technical Director: Matej Forman A two-hour-long cabaret-circus in an impressive tent that redefines the circus experience. The creators of this performance set off to undermine the conventions of commercial theater, and to present a world attuned to the most basic feelings, that respects simplicity and embraces enigmas and mysteries. Assembled in the arena of this cabaret-circus are 15 jugglers, dancers and actors who combine remarkable physical, creative, and theatrical skills. The colorful, intriguing, and grotesque characters present a picturesque image of an itinerant circus. This unique experience culminates with a direct encounter between audience members and performers, who are transformed into hosts toasting their guests with glasses of traditional Czech beer. This performance was the recipient of the 2009 award for best Czech Theater Performance.

„Simply great! Better than Cirque de Soleil or other shows. This has soul, feelings, joy and tragedy as every human beeing. Love this show, probably one of the best on the globe.“ Facebook fan

DOT504 / Ma Hunt Date: 5. 6. 2012 at 20:30Venue: Jerusalem Theater, Rebecca Crown AuditoriumAttendance: 450 (sold out)Sponsors and partners: Israel Festival

Date: 6 6. 2012 at 11:00Venue: Masterclass at the Israel Arts and Science Academy High SchoolAttendance: 50Sponsors and partners: Israel Festival

Choreographers and Dancers: Lenka Vágnerová, Pavel Mašek Artistic director: Lenka Ottová

The dance-theater group Dot504 was established in 2006 by Lenka Ottová. This performance depicts a future reality where human beings continue living on planet Earth after the extinction of all animals. The two dancers express the relationship between the hunter and his prey, moving with extreme care in relation to one another in a a highly intense work.

“Great show! Very inspiring and touching.” Facebook fan

Kühn Choir of Prague Date: 1. 6. 2012 at 11:00Venue: Jerusalem Theater, Henry Crown HallAttendance: 450Sponsors and partners: Israel Festival

The Kühn Choir of Prague is one of the most highly regarded choirs in the Czech Republic, which is renowned for its choir music. The choir was established 50 years ago by Pavel Kühn, who served as its conductor until his death in 2003. The choir‘s current artistic director is Marek Vorlíček. The repertoire chosen for the festival included the three masterpieces of Czech Romanticism and Modern Music: Dvořák‘s „Moravian Duets,“ Bohuslav Martinů‘s „Four Songs About Mary,“ and the remarkable requiem by Zdeněk Lukáš.

„Requiem is an extraordinarily difficult piece of music to perform under the best of circumstances, even when you are healthy and well fed. It is a work of great strenght.“ The Prague Kuhn Choir

„The magnificent Kuhn Choir, filled the enormous hall with Elysian voices, came especially from Prague for this amazing performance, brought to Jerusalem by the Czech Government with a great deal of help from Czech Ambassador to Israel Tomas Pojar, whose late father was also a Czech Ambassador to Israel. In his short but moving speech after the performance Ambassador Pojar made it clear that we have at least one friend in Europe, one ally. What country could possibly understand our isolation than the Czechs who suffered so terribly in World War Two and under Soviet autocracy.“ The Times of Israel

Jaroslav Jakubovic and friendsDate: 5. 6. 2012 at 23:00Venue: Jerusalem Theater, Jazz clubAttendance: 300Sponsors and partners: Jerusalem Municipality, Israel Festival

Date: 8. 6. 2012 at 15:30Venue: Ben Shetach StreetAttendance: 700Sponsors and partners: Jerusalem Municipality, Israel Festival

Special performance of the saxophone player Jaroslav Jakubovic at the jazz club together with the singer Berenika Kohoutová and the trombone player Peter Palesnik from the Czech Republic, and the Israeli musicians Arad Yeini (trumpet), Moran Baron (trombone), Adi Renert (keyboard), Israel Nahum (drums) and Tzur Ben Ze‘ev (bass).

„Moc se mi to líbilo, je možné koupit nějaké CD?“ Facebook fan

„Velký úspěch v Jeruzalémě!” Facebook fan

Czech Culinary DaysDates: 4. – 9.6. 2012Venue: Little Prague Tel Aviv, Bat Yam and AshdodAttendance: 300Sponsors and partners: Little Prague, Pilsner Urquell, ICCCI

Radek Prihonsky was born in 1966 in Prague. He is a gastronomy advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and is responsible for menus on the occasions of foreign state visits. He also works for restaurants and hotels. In cooperation with restaurant Little Prague he prepared a special Czech menu.Part of the program was screening of the EURO 2012 football championship CR - Russia.

“Vynikající kachýnka!” Facebook fan

EXHIBITONSPrague FunctionalismDate: 13. 5. - 15. 6. 2012Venue: Bauhaus Center Tel AvivAttendance: 1000Sponsors and partners: Czech Center Tel Aviv, Gallery of Jaroslav Fragner, Bauhaus Center Tel Aviv

Czech Centre Tel Aviv together with the Bauhaus Center Tel Aviv and Gallery of Jaroslav Fragner in Prague presented an exhibition of the highlights of Prague functionalist architecture: Prague Functionalism: Tradition and Contemporary Echoes.

Prague PanoramicDate: June 2012Venue: Jerusalem Theater LobbyAttendance: 2500Sponsors and partners: City of Prague, Jerusalem Theater

The exhibition of the large scale pictures of Prague was open in the lobby of the Jerusalem Theatre during the whole time of Israel Festival

„Prague Panorama is an incredible photographic exhibit. The uniqueness of this exhibiton is its ability to show different perspectives of the city.“ Time Out

Assasination of Reinhard HeydrichDate: May - August 2012Venues: Knesset Jerusalem, Rafael Ltd., Dvora Fischer Gallery in ZOA House Tel AvivAttendance: 3000Sponsors and partners: Military History Institute Prague, ICCCI

The exhibition was inaugurated by the Speaker of the Parliament of the Czech Republic in the Knesset during her official visit of Israel. From June to July it was relocated to the company Rafael Advance Defense System where over 4000 employees could see it. In August the exhibition was opened to general public in the Dvora Fischer Gallery in ZOA House in Tel Aviv.

Prague ZOODate: June - September 2012Venue: Biblical ZOO JerusalemAttendance: 2000Sponsors and partners: Czech Center Tel Aviv, Prague ZOO, City of Prague

Two exhibitions about the Prague ZOO and the preservation of the protected kind of animals From Myna to Bearded Vulture and Gorillas in Danger were open for public in the space of Biblical ZOO in Jerusalem.

„…the handsome silverback gorilla Richard, his wives and babies, all from the Prague ZOO, the main protagonists of the Czech reality show now have a chance to become famous also in Israel. The exhibition“ „Gorilla in Danger“, prepared by zoologists from the Prague is telling real stories and fairy tales from Gorilla`s family life.“

SPECIAL EVENTSReception in Jerusalem TheaterDate: 5. 6. 2012 Venue: Jerusalem Theater FoyerAttendance: 200 peopleSponsors and partners: ICCCI, Skoda Car (Champion Motors), Staropramen

A festive reception was organized and hosted by the Embassy of the Czech Republic with the support of the Israeli Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Staropramen and Skoda Car (Champion Motors) on the occasion of the official opening of the Days of Prague at the presence of the representatives of the Prague and Jerusalem municipalities. The reception took place in the foyer of the Jerusalem Theater and started with the opening of the exhibition Prague Panoramic. Among over 200 participants where significant businessmen, dignitaries, artists and Czech compatriots. The event was followed by the performance of DOT 504, Obludarium by the Forman Brothers Theater and a concert of Jaroslav Jakubovic and his friends.