Director and Secretariat

Jaroslav Šonka (1948) Director of ESLI. Studied biology at the Charles University in Prague. The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in1968 led him to exile in Germany. Completed his Ph.D. in Biology at the University in Hamburg. He worked as a biologist in Hamburg, Ulm and Heidelberg until the 1990s. His further studies of philosophy and Slavic studies, as well as being an émigré from behind the Iron Curtain, lead him to a more than two-decade-long intense international public involvement in social justice issues - ranging from minority and gender themes to the topic of genocide, in particular the Holocaust (Shoah), and comprising both wide publication work and educational and cultural activities in Germany, Serbia, Macedonia and other countires as well as the Czech Republic. Dr. Šonka teaches on media topics such as “Ethics in Media and Politics” and “Modern Media Communication in Europe” at the Charles University in Prague. He is active also in the United States, Britain, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and other countries. Fluent in German and Czech, conversant in  English, Polish, Spanish, and Russian.

Jana Havlíková (1974) Deputy Director of ESLI. Studied Czech Language and Literature, History of International Relations and Polonistics at the Charles University in Prague, subsequently History, Ethics at the Saarland University, Germany. In the years 1998-2004 worked for the Institute of Slavonic Studies, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic as an expert officer. Between 2001-2009 in Czech German Future Fund as an expert officer dealing with the issue of claims verification and evaluation of slave and forced laborers, since 2005 head of the Fund´s Verification and Documentation Center. Co-founder of Living Memory. In 2009 worked at the Organization committee of Holocaust Era Assets Conference 2009, coordinating special section of the conference „Welfare of Nazi Victims and Their Legacy“. In 2009-2010 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, working as Secretary of the Preparatory Committee for the foundation of ESLI. Fluent English, German and Czech, conversant in French and Polish.

Michaela Rozov (1973) Public Relations and Administrative Manager of ESLI. Studied Political Science and Modern Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (her M.A. Thesis on the Czech Government-in-Exile and its Jewish policies was awarded the Erich Kulka Prize of Excellence in research of Central European Jewry during the Holocaust), later graduated also from the Columbia School of Journalism in New York. In the years 1992 to 2003 worked as a journalist, reporting for leading Czech periodicals (Respekt, Mladá fronta, Lidové noviny) mainly on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but also issues of Jewish religion, culture and history, including the Holocaust. As an assistant producer, she also worked for American media (Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, ABC News). Co-author of a documentary Afghanistan Shangri-La, with award winning journalist Petra Procházková. In 2003-2004 worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, at the Department of Middle East and Africa, dealing with the agenda of the Israeli-Arab conflict. Since 2005 worked as a court–sworn interpreter of English and Hebrew. Fluent in English, Hebrew and Czech, conversant in German. CURRENTLY ON MATERNITY LEAVE.

Tereza Knapová (1978) Deputy Director of ESLI. Studied Humanities at the Charles University in Prague and Russian and French Philology with special focus on tourism at the University of Hradec Králové. In the beginning of her career worked as a language teacher for several language schools in Prague and Hradec Králové where she led  courses for adults and also taught English language one year at the primary school. She worked for a French company based in Prague, Czech Republic, as an assistant and later as a member of the team of event production. Between 2007-2010 worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic as an higher officer appointed to the Czech Chairmanship of Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research. In the years 2008-2010 worked as a desk officer at the Permanent Secretariat of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research in Berlin, Germany. Member of the Czech delegation appointed to the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research. Fluent in English, Czech and Slovak, conversant in Russian and French.

Barbora Běhounková (1985) Office manager of ESLI. Studied at the College of Social and Legal issues in Prague with special focus on social work and at the Australian Academy of Commerce in Sydney, where she graduated in Small Business Management and Marketing. In the years 2005 – 2008 she worked as an assistant to the director of Property Management Organization and Culture of Trade Unions and as a support to the Chief accountant. After a return from her study – work stay in Australia, she worked at the JCDecaux as a Junior Sales Representative, in the years 2011 – 2012 at the Interoute Czech Republic.Fluent in English, Czech and Slovak, conversant in Spanish

Rachel Ripps (1991) Volunteer with ESLI. Studies at American University in Washington D.C. in the United States. Majors in Business and History with a focus on Jewish Studies. In 2010-2011, she interned with the Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center division of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Currently, she is studying at Charles University for the semester with a focus in Jewish Studies. In ESLI, she will help with  administrative work and manage social media accounts. She will also monitor news sources for relevant topics and current news.