Prague was once home to a thriving Jewish community. At one time there were 11 active synagogues in the Czech capital. Unfortunately, tens of thousands of Czech Jews lost their lives at the hands of the Nazis, and today only seven synagogues remain. The majority of these and several other Jewish community buildings are located in Prague's unique Jewish Quarter.
Relative to other European Jewish communities, Czech Jews historically enjoyed more freedoms and rights than those in other lands. Still, its members were required to live within ghetto walls and were limited in their activities. Even so, many Jews in the Czech lands made great contributions to Czech society, both before and after they were given full civil rights. Rabbi Judah Loew was so prominent that Emperor Rudolf II asked him to speak to him about the cabala. The influential writer Franz Kafka was from Prague and is buried at the city's New Jewish Cemetery. One of the most remarkable structures in Prague's Jewish Quarter is the Old-New Synagogue. Dating from the 13th century, this Gothic building is so named because at the time it was built, it was newer than all the other synagogues, and now it is older than all the others. It is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, standing synagogues in Europe, and it is the longest continually operating synagogue in Europe. |
Other synagogues include the Maisl, the Pinkas and the Klausen. It is in the Pinkas Synagogue that you will find the names of all of the Czech Jews who perished in the Holocaust painted on the walls of the building. Also, from here you can enter the Old Jewish Cemetery which was established in the 15th century. It contains some 12,000 seemingly ancient and beautiful tombstones of the Jewish Quarter's residents.
The Old-New SynagoguePrague's Old-New Synagogue is one of the oldest standing Synagogues in Europe.
|
The Jerusalem SynagogueThe Jubilee (or Jerusalem) Synagogue combines Moorish and Art Nouveau architecture.
|
The Spanish SynagogueThe Spanish Synagogue, designed in the Moorish style, was the seat of the Jewish Reform Movement in Prague.
|