Czech doctors apologize for 1938 anti-Jewish purge

The Czech Medical Chamber unanimously apologized on Thursday for a decree adopted in October 1938 that banned Jews from working in the medical professions. A spokesman for the doctors’ group said the decree was anti-Semitic and discriminatory. Members of the Czech Jewish community welcomed the motion, but noted that the apology comes from people who did nothing wrong.

In October 1938, just days after the adoption of the Munich Agreement, associations of Czech doctors, lawyers and engineers called on the government to limit the numbers of Jews in these professions. The Czech Bar Association issued an official apology last year.