Rabbi Karol Efraim Sidon (born August 9, 1942) is a Czech Rabbi

Rabbi

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

, writer and playwright. He is the current chief rabbi of the city of Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 and of the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

.

Life

Born and raised in Prague he began studying at the Academy of Musical Art in Prague in 1960 where he began writing film scripts, and radio plays
for Czech public radio - Český rozhlas

Ceský rozhlas

Český rozhlas is the Czech Republic's publicly funded radio broadcasting organization.It offers the following radio channels:*ČRo 1 – Radiožurnál: news and information*ČRo 2 – Praha: talk and family programmes...

. Up to 1968 he worked as a producer for Czech puppeteer Jiří Trnka

Jirí Trnka

Jiří Trnka was a Czech puppet maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director. In addition to his extensive career as an illustrator, especially of children's books, he is best known for his work in animation with puppets, which began in 1946...

. In the same year, Sidon's first book, "Sen o mém otci" ("Dream about my father") was published, in which the author deals with his being brought up without his Jewish father Alexander Sidon, who perished in the Terezín ghetto (his wife was a Christian). In 1977 he was a signatory to Charter 77

Charter 77

Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in communist Czechoslovakia from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. Spreading the text of the document was...

. He received the Jiří Kolář

Jirí Kolár

Jiří Kolář was a Czech poet, writer, painter and translator. His work was divided between literary and visual art.- Life :Kolář came from a poor family of a baker and a seamstress...

 prize in 1978.

In 1983 he emigrated to West Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and converted to Judaism

Judaism

Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

 after studying Jewish studies

Jewish studies

Jewish studies is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history , religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages , political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies...

 at the Heidelberg university. He became ordained as a Rabbi after studying for a time in Israel. He returned to the Czech republic in 1992, where he became chief rabbi of Prague. He is married to Marcela Třebická, and is the father of the actress Magdalena Sidonová.

Tensions

In Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 in 2005 tensions developed between Chabad

Chabad

Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...

 members and its rabbi Rabbi Manis Barash and Efraim Sidon. The Old New Synagogue

Old New Synagogue

The Old New Synagogue situated in Josefov, Prague, is Europe's oldest active synagogue. It is also the oldest surviving medieval synagogue of twin nave design.Completed in 1270 in gothic style, it was one of Prague's first gothic buildings...

 in Prague's ancient Jewish Quarter became the scene of an emotional dispute between members of the Chabad movement and locals backing Karol Sidon, chief rabbi of the Czech Republic. The conflict led to violent brawls and hospitalisations on a number of occasions. Sidon was eventually returned to his post.
In 2004 Tomáš Jelínek, the director of the community council, incompetently fired Sidon as Rabbi of Prague giving the post to young Chabad rabbi Manis Barash. A grassroots campaign from community members led to the deposition of Jelinek as the community director. Jelinek then asked a religious arbiter in Israel to rule on the case who ruled in favor of Rabbi Barash. Sidon's supporters argued that the case was void since Jelinek had lied to the Judge telling him that the community board had been behind his actions in firing Sidon and appointing Barash. However on 21 November 2005 he was reelected as the chief Rabbi of the city following the protracted dispute with Chabad

Chabad

Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...

.
Deputy chairman of the community Jakub Roth told the press: "this is part of the local Chabad’s striving to take over the community’s religious life. We have seen an ugly foray of Chabad in their attempt to take over the Old-New synagogue."

Works

• Sen o mém otci, 1968, (Dream about My Father)
• Sen o mně, 1970, (Dream about Myself)
• Boží osten, 1975, (The Sting of God)
• Brány mrazu, 1977, (Gates of Frost)
• Dvě povídky o utopencích, 1988, (Two Stories about the Drowned People)
• Gospel podle Josefa Flavia, 1974, (The Gospel According to Josephus Flavius)

Plays

• Zákon, 1968, (The Law)
• Labyrint (cirkus podle Komenského), 1972, (Labyrinth, Circus According to Comenius)
• Shapira, 1972, (Shapira)
• Zpívej mi na cestu, (Sing Me for the Trip)
• Maringotka Zuzany Kočové, (Caravan of Zuzana Kočová)

Children's books

• Pohádky ze čtyř šuplíčků, 1979, (Fairy Tales from Four Drawers) (appeared under the name of his wife Marcela Třebická).

Filmography

• Bohemia Docta aneb Labyrint světa a lusthauz srdce (2000) (Bohemia Docta or Labyrinth of the World and Lusthauz of the Hearh)
• Adam a Gabriel (1973) (Adam and Gabriel)
• Dovidenia v pekle priatelia (1970) (Goodbye in Hell Friends)
• Ptáčkové, sirotci a blázni (1969) (Birds, Orphants and Fools)
• Zběhové a poutníci (1968) (Deserters and Pilgrims)

External links

1. http://66.249.93.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://dispatch.opac.d-nb.de/DB%3D4.1/REL%3FPPN%3D120902869&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dkarol%2Bsidon%2Bde%2Bwiki%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3DGGLG,GGLG:2006-23,GGLG:enLiterature by Karol Sidon in the catalog of the German National Library
   German National Library
   The German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...
   
   (German)]