March 11, 2015: Prague's Jewish Quarter

THE JEWISH QUARTER

TOUR WITH PROFESSOR RON HOFFBERG

Dobrý den!

TODAY WE VISITED Prague’s Jewish Quarter, Josefov in Czech. Our tour guide was Ron Hoffberg: a rabbi, historian, and professor at CIEE. He was a wealth of information and shared his knowledge and experience with us at a variety of historical places. We admired the architecture and the level of detail in the decoration. We were in awe of Prague’s centuries of history.

Gothic arches at the Old New Synagogue

First we visited the Old New Synagogue, Europe’s longest continually-used synagogue. Professor Hoffberg explained about the arch supports used in 15^th century architecture and mentioned that the idea of flat ceilings was rather recent. The original exterior of the building was no longer visible, as an addition had been built when it was decided that men and women had to worship separately.

A stolperstein in Prague

While en route to our next stop on the tour, the Professor stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and pointed down at a small plaque mounted on a cobblestone. It read: “In loving memory of Klara Mahlerova, born 1883, cruelly murdered by the Nazis in Auschwitz, 1942.” He explained that it was called a stolperstein or “stumbling block” and was part of a project undertaken by German artist Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of the Holocaust by placing a plaque in the sidewalk outside their former homes or places of work. 

Interior of the Spanish Synagogue

Next we arrived at the Spanish Synagogue, an incredible example of the Moorish Revival style of architecture. The synagogue is incredibly elaborate and stunningly beautiful: every surface is ornamented with brilliant paintings or carvings. During World War II, the Nazis seized the property and used it for storage of belongings taken from their victims. Ron told us about how the building was destroyed as a result and flooded in the intervening years- but fortunately underwent a restoration in the late 1990’s which returned it to its former glory.

Pinkas Synagogue

Our next stop on the tour was the Pinkas Synagogue, which is now a memorial to Czech and Moravian Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust. There are 80,000 names inscribed on the walls- which is still only a fraction of the number of Holocaust victims. It was a chilling and moving experience.

Gravestones at the Old Jewish Cemetery

Our last stop on the tour was the Old Jewish Cemetery, which was very interesting and about which Ron knew seemingly everything. The oldest grave dates back to 1439, and the newest to 1787. When the cemetery ran out of space and was not allotted any new land, more layers of soil were added above the existing graves and the gravestones moved to the new layer. This was done 12 times, and as a result there were over 10,000 burials there.

All in all, it was a wonderful last day in Prague! We learned and saw so much while we were there. Now off to Berlin!