President Vaclav Klaus met with the representatives of SVU in New York on March 8, 2008.
During a friendly and relaxed meeting, Mr. President said a few nice words about the SVU and about our work. Discussion centered on the world economic situation, science, global warming and relations of SVU with the Czech republic. President Klaus has provided his presidential aegis for our upcoming conference in Texas. He also appreciated recent SVU publications presented to him by Dr. Karel Raska Jr.
President Vaclav Klaus at lunch with SVU representatives in New York
Dr. Karel Raska Jr. presents recent SVU books to President Klaus
There has been a plethora of biographies depicting the life and works of the Karl Heinrich Marx, usually considered the founder of communism. Most of the biographers stress the point that he was a descendant of a long line of rabbis from the Rhine region of Germany. This supposition is certainly correct when one considers the ancestry of his father’s mother. It is surprising that the biographers have usually ignored his father’s paternal roots, not to speak about Karl Marx’s mother’s ancestors. A comment is frequently made that little is known about them. Such statements are even more surprising, considering the fact that the location of Karl Marx’s grandfather’s native place is clearly visible on his gravestone in the Jewish Cemetery in Trier, Germany. The people who can read the Hebrew alphabet, can clearly read the name Postelberg, which stands for Postoloprty, a town in the Czech Republic, located in the Usti nad Labem Region, about 7 km from Louny.
For those who are unaware of this, Mila Rechcigl prepared an abbreviated summary of Karl Marx’s ancestors. Download the research here (PDF).
President Vaclav Klaus meets with representatives of SVU in New York