Prague 4: Old Jewish Quarter [Sky Watch Friday]

Following a lively morning presentation on Czech music, we proceeded to the old Jewish quarter. The history of the Jews in Prague is too complex to describe. Needless to say, they suffered through the centuries as two distinct communities were merged into one ghetto. In 1890 it was razed for supposed health reasons, but the Town Hall, several synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery were spared. The tower of the Jewish Town Hall is below.The right to build the tower was granted to the community after they helped defend the Charles bridge against invading Swedes in 1648. Note the presence of a second clock with Hebrew figures. Because Hebrew is read from right to left, this clock turns in the anti-clockwise direction.

 

Close to the town hall is the Pinkas Synagogue. Founded in 1479, it has been rebuilt many times. The core of the present building is a hall with Gothic vaulting.

The Synagogue now serves as a memorial to all the Czech Jews who were imprisoned in Terezin (Theresienstadt) and died there or in one of the concentration camps to which they were subsequently deported. The names of the 77,297 who did not return are inscribed on the Synagogue walls. If you look through the grill work, you will see a small sample of the inscriptions. The panels of names are arranged according to geographical regions from which the victims were taken, and they include their dates of birth and deportation/presumed death. The building also houses an exhibition of drawings made by children in Terezin these are too depressing to show here.

Adjacent to the Synagogue is the Old Jewish Cemetery, which for over 300 years was the only permitted burial ground. Founded in 1478, it was slightly enlarged over the years, but remains essentially unchanged.Because of its small size, people had to be buried on top of one another, up to 12 layers deep. Some 12,000 gravestones are crammed into this space; but the actual number of those buried here must exceed that number. Below is a sampling of headstones. The last image is the stone of the most famous personage in the cemetery, Rabbi Löw, buried in 1609. The reddish color is characteristic of sandstone weathering over time. 

There are actually several additional synagogues in Prague, but I will discus just one more, the Spanish Synagogue. The current building, which dates from the second half of the 19th century, was built on the spot of an 11th century synagogue (the first in Prague). What makes the Spanish Synagogue of architectural interest is its Moorish appearance. The walls and vaults are richly decorated, reminiscent of the Alhambra in Spain, hence its name.