Miloš Pojar (1940 – 23 January 2012) was a Czech (and Czechoslovak prior to 1993) historian, writer and diplomat. Pojar oversaw the establishment of diplomatic relations between the former Czechoslovakia and Israel following the Velvet Revolution. He became the first Czech ambassador to Israel following the revolution. Pojar served as ambassador from 1990 until 1994. His son, Tomáš Pojar, currently serves as the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Israel, as of February 2012.
The majority of Pojar's books and articles focused on Jewish history and themes, though the government of Communist Czechoslovakia forbid him from publishing his work from 1970 until 1990. After returning from Israel, Pojar became the director of the Jewish Museum in Prague's Educational and Cultural Center in the 1990s and a lecturer at the New York University's Prague campus.
His last book, completed shortly before his death, explored the relationship between Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and the Jewish people.
Pojar died at a hospital in Prague on 23 January 2012 at the age of 71.
References
- ^ "Milos Pojar, post-communist Czechoslovakia's first envoy to Israel, dies". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. January 24, 2012. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ "Milos Pojar, 1st Czech ambassador to Israel after 1989 Velvet Revolution, dies at 71". Washington Post. Associated Press. January 24, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- Profile at the New York University in Prague website Archived March 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine