The Centre was founded in August l996 and is located in the former Jewish Quarter, across from the Jewish Town Hall. The Centre provides the general public, both from the Czech Republic and abroad, with detailed information on Judaism and the history of Jewish people (with particular emphasis on the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia), as well as on anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. One of the Centre's principal tasks is to broaden the knowledge of the Czech public, particularly the young generation, on these topics and to renew awareness of the Jewish presence in the Czech Republic, a presence that was fully suppressed for more than forty years under the communist regime. To realize its goals the Centre works in co-operation with the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Physical Training. With the Ministry's assistance, the Centre has begun projects such as the training of teachers (for which the Centre has acquired from the Ministry the important status as a teacher training institution). The Centre also organizes regular lectures on historical, literary, philosophical and religious topics, as well as cultural events, literary evenings, book presentations, film screenings, and concerts, which are open to the public. Evening programmes are held four times a week.