In most cities of the world, you need to do some research to find the places of Jewish interest. Not so in Prague, where among the most popular tourist attractions are also Jewish sites: Josefov, Prague's Jewish Quarter, and anything connected to the writer Franz Kafka.
The centerpiece of the Josefov is the Jewish Town Hall, a 16th-century building whose tower features the famous clock with Hebrew letters instead of numbers. Across the street is the Altneuschul, Old-New Synagogue, and a 13th-century Gothic structure that is the oldest active synagogue in Europe.
Legend has it that it was built with stones from the Second Temple. It is here, in the attic, that the legendary Golem of Prague, a monster-like figure that was intended to protect the Jews of Prague, is believed to have resided.
Nearby are several well-preserved synagogues including the ancient Pinkas Synagogue, whose walls are inscribed with the names of the 80,000 Czech Jews who died in the Holocaust, the Klausen, Maisel, and the High synagogues. They contain religious and cultural artifacts representing an era of Jewish renaissance during the late middle ages and the 19th century, following the Emancipation. In fact, it was in recognition of the benign rule of Emperor Joseph II, when the community flourished, that the Jewish quarter was named after the Hapsburg monarch.
The most iconic site in the Jewish Quarter is the Jewish cemetery, where Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel is buried. There are 12,000 layered tombstones dating back 600 years and those on the surface are tightly crowded and sit on unstable ground tilting in all directions.
The Jewish Museum contains an extraordinary collection of Judaica, gathered from over 100 communities in Moravia and Bohemia that were destroyed or looted by the Nazis. These include precious ritual objects of silver, textiles, printed manuscripts, and thousands of documents. Part of the collection is housed in the Spanish Synagogue, a gem of Moorish architecture, its white stucco walls painted with intricate arabesques and geometric designs. Concerts for Jewish musical and cultural celebrations of the holidays are held here. Outside the Spanish Synagogue is a sculpture of Kafka, an abstract figure and one of many in the city honouring its most famous writer. There is the Grand Hotel Europa in Wenceslas Square, a stunning Art Nouveau building where Kafka gave public readings. The Café Slavia, one of the coffee houses frequented by the Prague Circle, Kafka's house on Radnice Street, and a square named after him nearby.
The Kafka Museum is a fascinating representation of the writer's ambivalent attitude toward his Jewish heritage, but also his belief and support for Zionism. The museum contains notes and writings from his most famous novels, but also letters to his father in which he expresses himself about his Jewish faith and background.
A walk through the Old Town Square, a magnificent plaza of rococo, Gothic, and Renaissance architecture, leads to the famous Charles Bridge. Among the statues lining the bridge is a 17th-century sculpture, one of Jesus crucified bearing Hebrew inscriptions, possibly a punitive act against the local Jews.
About 30 miles north of Prague is Terezin, a fortress town and a prison. There, the Nazis established a "camp ghetto", where some 140,000 Jews were taken; about 90,000 were deported to Auschwitz and other death camps. Roughly 33,000 died in Terezin.
The Nazis used the camp as a propaganda façade, staging cultural events for visiting Red Cross officials. Many famous artists and musicians were deported to the camp, where they created and performed under the most vile conditions.
Today, there is a museum at the camp, which features the works of many artists, and drawings by children at the camp, many taught by Friedl Dicker Brandeis.
When it comes to Prague's Jewish community, there are about 3,000 registered Jews living in Prague and other cities in the Czech Republic. Most are secular, although there are traditional Orthodox services held in the High Synagogue, mainly for visitors.
The Jewish community headquarters is located in the old Jewish Town Hall. There is a Jewish old age home, a school, and a kosher restaurant.
Federation of Jewish Communities in Czech Republic
Maiselova 18, 110 01 Praha 1.
Tel: +420/ 224 800 824;
www.fzo.cz.
Jewish Museum in Prague/
U Staré školy 1, 110 00 Praha 1.
Tel: +420 222 749 211;
http://jewishdiscoveries.com
