History of the Jews in Prague

Last updated
The Jewish Town Hall in Prague's Jewish Quarter. Praha, Zidovska radnice.jpg
The Jewish Town Hall in Prague's Jewish Quarter.

The history of the Jews in Prague , the capital of today's Czech Republic, relates to one of Europe's oldest recorded and most well-known Jewish communities (in Hebrew, Kehilla), first mentioned by the Sephardi-Jewish traveller Ibrahim ibn Yaqub in 965 CE. Since then, the community has existed continuously, despite various pogroms and expulsions, the Holocaust, and subsequent antisemitic persecution by the Czech Communist regime in the 20th century. [1]

Contents

Nowadays, the Jewish community of Prague numbers approximately 2,000 members. There are a number of synagogues of all Jewish denominations, a Chabad centre, an old age home, a kindergarten, Lauder Schools, the Judaic Studies department at the Charles University, kosher restaurants and a kosher hotel. Notable Jews from Prague include Judah Loew ben Bezalel, Franz Kafka, Miloš Forman and Madeleine Albright.

History

Early history

Members of the Prague Burial Society (chevra kadisha) pray at the bed of a dying man (around 1772). Prager Beerdigungsbruderschaft.jpg
Members of the Prague Burial Society ( chevra kadisha ) pray at the bed of a dying man (around 1772).

The first reference to a Jewish community in Prague is in a report by Jewish traveler Ibrahim ibn Yaqub from 965 CE which mentions Jewish merchants at Prague markets. By the end of the 11th century, a Jewish community had been fully established in Prague. [1] By the mid-12th century, following various attacks and pogroms, Prague's Jews were confined to living in an area on the right bank of the Vltava river which would eventually become the ghetto. [1] Jews in Prague were first protected from persecution by a royal charter of Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1254, which stated that the Jews were protected as money lenders and servants of the king, but required to pay high taxes and occasionally supply loans to the royal treasury. [1] At Easter in 1389, which coincided with Passover, Jews were accused of ‘vandalizing the eucharistic wafer’ and, as a result, 3,000 Jewish men, women, and children were murdered in the streets, homes, and synagogues of the ghetto. In the aftermath of this pogrom, many Prague Jews fled to Poland and Hungary. [1]

Prague's Jews during the Prague Renaissance

In 1501, Bohemia’s landed nobility reaffirmed the ancient privileges of the Jews of Prague and this fostered an open atmosphere for economic activity. From 1522 to 1541, the Jewish population of Prague almost doubled; many Jewish refugees, who had been expelled from Moravia, Germany, Austria, and Spain, came to Prague. [2] During the Habsburg reign, however, the Jewish people were expelled twice - in 1542 and 1561, [3] the community strengthening on each return. From 1564 to 1612, the reigns of Maximilian II and Rudolf II were a 'golden age' for the Jews in Prague. By the early 1700s, the Jews accounted for about a quarter of Prague's population with more Jewish people living in Prague than anywhere else in the world. This 'golden age' ended with Empress Maria Theresa's succession to the throne, and Jews were expelled from Prague once again from 1745 to 1748. [2] In 1782, Emperor Joseph II issued the Edict of Tolerance, which affirmed the notion of religious tolerance in the Hapsburg Empire, including for Jews. The Edict allowed Prague's Jews to participate in all forms of trade, commerce, agriculture and the arts. [2]

The Holocaust

In 1939, at the outbreak of World War II, over 92,000 Jews lived in Prague, representing almost 20 per cent of the city’s population. At least two-thirds of the city's Jewish population perished in the Holocaust. [1]

Post-World War II

In 1946, Prague had a Jewish population of 10,338, of whom: 1,396 had not been deported (being mostly of mixed Jewish and Christian parentage); 227 had gone into hiding during the Nazi occupation; 4,986 had returned from prisons, concentration camps or the Theresienstadt Ghetto; 883 had returned from Czechoslovak army units abroad; 613 were Czechoslovak Jewish emigres who had returned; and 2,233 were Jews from Carpathian Ruthenia, who had decided to move to Czechoslovakia after that territory had been ceded to the Soviet Union in June 1945. [4]

Following the Communist takeover in 1945, Jewish life was stifled and most of Prague's Jews kept their identity a secret. By 1949, when Jewish emigration to Israel was forbidden, around 2,500 of Prague's Jews had emigrated to Israel. The situation worsened following the failure of the Prague Spring and the resulting Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, following which 3,400 Jews fled the country. [1]

In 2022, the Federation of Jewish Communities estimated that there are between 3,000 and 5,000 Jews in the Czech Republic, of which 1,600 live in Prague. [1]

Jewish Quarter and Ghetto

Jewish Ceremonial Hall (Obradni sin) in U stareho hrbitova Street, Prague Jewish Ceremonial Hall Prague Czech Rep.jpg
Jewish Ceremonial Hall (Obřadní síň) in U starého hřbitova Street, Prague

Known as Židovské město in Czech (and later Judenstadt in German), the ghetto was the center of Jewish mysticism. [5] From 1522 to 1541, the population of the ghetto almost doubled due to an influx of Jews expelled from Moravia, German lands (of the Holy Roman Empire), Austria and Spain. The ghetto grew in area because laws were introduced allowing the Jews to build homes on land next to the ghetto. [2] Inside the ghetto, the Jewish residents had their own town hall with a prized small bell used to call attendees to meetings. The Jews also had permission to fly their own flag. [5] Jews living in the ghetto prospered in many diverse professions such as mathematicians, astronomers, geographers, historians, philosophers, and artists. [2]

Except for the synagogues and a few other buildings, the Jewish Quarter was totally demolished in the early 1900s and rebuilt in the then-popular Art Nouveau style.

Old Jewish Cemetery

One of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Europe, the Old Jewish Cemetery was in operation from at least 1439 and was closed in 1787. The Cemetery is located in the Jewish Quarter on a small plot of land between the Pinkas Synagogue and the Klausen Synagogue. During the four hundred plus years that the Cemetery was active, about 200,000 Jewish people from the ghetto were buried there. Because the Cemetery was only capable of holding around ten per cent of the number of Jews buried there, the graves span about twelve tombs deep. [2] The most famous tomb is that of the sixteenth century rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel. The oldest grave in the Cemetery, from 1439, belongs to Rabbi Avigdor Kara.

Whereas many other Jewish cemeteries situated in territory controlled by the Nazis were plundered or left to ruin, the Nazi occupying administration saw that Prague's Old Jewish Cemetery was preserved. This was possibly for the Cemetery to form part of a planned future Jewish museum after the completion of the Final Solution, but the precise plans or aims are unclear or unknown. [6]

Synagogues

The Maisel Synagogue in Prague's Jewish Quarter. Jewish Synagogue in Prague Czech Rep.jpg
The Maisel Synagogue in Prague's Jewish Quarter.

The oldest Jewish house of worship in Prague, the Old School Synagogue is no longer standing. It was replaced by the 'Great' or 'New School' in 1270. As the Jewish community grew and more synagogues were built, this medieval gothic building became known as the Old New Synagogue (or Altneuschul).

During the Jewish Renaissance in Prague, beginning in the sixteenth century, four major synagogues were built and completed. The Pinkas Synagogue was completed in 1479 and showcases Renaissance design in its architecture. [7] The author Franz Kafka attended services at the Pinkas Synagogue in the twentieth century. [2]

Completed in 1568, the High Synagogue (so dubbed because the worship space is on the second floor) stood and still stands next to the Jewish Town Hall and served the seniors of the Jewish Quarter. [2] In 1591, Rudolph II allowed the building of the Maisel Synagogue, named for its benefactor Mordecai Maisel. The Synagogue suffered multiple fires. [2] The Klausen Synagogue, located on land also donated by Maisel and built in the Baroque style, opened in 1694. [7]

During the 1945 bombing of Prague in World War II, the Vinohrady Synagogue  [ cs ] (opened 1896), the largest Jewish house of prayer in the city, was destroyed.

Two more landmark synagogues still stand in Prague: the Spanish Synagogue, built in 1868 on the site of the Old School Synagogue, and the Jerusalem Synagogue, dedicated in 1906. The former was built in the Moorish style, while the design of the latter combines Moorish elements with Art Nouveau.

More synagogues were built in the suburbs of Prague: in Michle (opened in around 1730), Uhřiněves (1848), Košíře (1849), Libeň (1858), Karlín (1861), Smíchov (consecrated 1863, reconstructed 1931) and Bubny (1899). These synagogues are no longer active.

Flags of the Jews of Prague

Charles IV gave the Jews of Prague the honour of a flag in 1357. The red flag includes a yellow Magen David (Star of David), often considered to be the first use of a Magen David to represent a Jewish community. [8]

In 1648, Ferdinand III gave the Jewish community a flag for their assistance in fighting Swedish attackers during the Thirty Years' War. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josefov</span> Town quarter and cadastral area of Prague, Czech Republic

Josefov is a town quarter and the smallest cadastral area of Prague, Czech Republic, formerly the Jewish ghetto of the town. It is surrounded by the Old Town. The quarter is often represented by the flag of Prague's Jewish community, a yellow Magen David on a red field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heřmanův Městec</span> Town in Pardubice, Czech Republic

Heřmanův Městec is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

The history of the Jews during World War II is almost synonymous with the persecution and murder of Jews which was committed on an unprecedented scale in Europe and European North Africa. The massive scale of the Holocaust which happened during World War II greatly affected the Jewish people and world public opinion, which only understood the dimensions of the Final Solution after the war. The genocide, known as HaShoah in Hebrew, aimed at the elimination of the Jewish people on the European continent. It was a broadly organized operation led by Nazi Germany, in which approximately six million Jews were murdered methodically and with horrifying cruelty. Although the Holocaust was organized by the highest levels of the Nazi German government, the vast majority of Jews murdered were not German, but were instead residents of countries invaded by the Nazis after 1938. Of the approximately 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis, approximately 160,000 to 180,000 were German Jews. During the Holocaust in occupied Poland, more than one million Jews were murdered in gas chambers of the Auschwitz concentration camp alone. The murder of the Jews of Europe affected Jewish communities in Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Channel Islands, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Latvia</span> Ethnic group

The history of the Jews in Latvia dates back to the first Jewish colony established in Piltene in 1571. Jews contributed to Latvia's development until the Northern War (1700–1721), which decimated Latvia's population. The Jewish community reestablished itself in the 18th century, mainly through an influx from Prussia, and came to play a principal role in the economic life of Latvia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Luxembourg</span> Ethnic group

The history of the Jews in Luxembourg dates back to the 1200s. There are roughly 1,200 Jews in Luxembourg, and Jews form one of the largest and most important religious and ethnic minority communities in Luxembourg historically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague</span> Cemetery with burials from the 1400s to 1786

The Old Jewish Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery in Prague, Czech Republic, which is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and one of the most important Jewish historical monuments in Prague. It served its purpose from the first half of the 15th century until 1786. Renowned personalities of the local Jewish community were buried here; among them rabbi Jehuda Liva ben Becalel – Maharal, businessman Mordecai Meisel (1528–1601), historian David Gans and rabbi David Oppenheim (1664–1736). Today the cemetery is administered by the Jewish Museum in Prague.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huncovce</span> Village and Municipality in Prešov Region, Slovakia

Huncovce is a village and municipality in Kežmarok District in the Prešov Region of north Slovakia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankfurter Judengasse</span> Historical Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt, Germany

The Frankfurter Judengasse was the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt and one of the earliest ghettos in Germany. It existed from 1462 until 1811 and was home to Germany's largest Jewish community in early modern times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maisel Synagogue</span> Synagogue in Prague Czech Republic

The Maisel Synagogue is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the former Jewish quarter of Prague, in the Czech Republic. The synagogue was built at the end of the 16th century in the Gothic Revival style. Since then its appearance has changed several times. The synagogue belongs to the Jewish Community of Prague and is administered by the Jewish Museum in Prague as a part of its exhibitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in the Czech lands</span> History of the Jews in Czechia

The history of the Jews in the Czech lands, historically the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, including the modern Czech Republic, goes back many centuries. There is evidence that Jews have lived in Moravia and Bohemia since as early as the 10th century. Jewish communities flourished here specifically in the 16th and 17th centuries, and again in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Local Jews were mostly murdered in the Holocaust, or exiled at various points. As of 2021, there were only about 2,300 Jews estimated to be living in the Czech Republic.

This timeline of antisemitism chronicles events in the history of antisemitism, hostile actions or discrimination against Jews as members of a religious and/or ethnic group. It includes events in Jewish history and the history of antisemitic thought, actions which were undertaken in order to counter antisemitism or alleviate its effects, and events that affected the prevalence of antisemitism in later years. The history of antisemitism can be traced from ancient times to the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish ghettos in Europe</span> Neighborhoods of European cities in which Jews were permitted to live

In the early modern era, European Jews were confined to ghettos and placed under strict regulations as well as restrictions in many European cities. The character of ghettos fluctuated over the centuries. In some cases, they comprised a Jewish quarter, the area of a city traditionally inhabited by Jews. In many instances, ghettos were places of terrible poverty and during periods of population growth, ghettos had narrow streets and small, crowded houses. Residents had their own justice system. Around the ghetto stood walls that, during pogroms, were closed from inside to protect the community, but from the outside during Christmas, Pesach, and Easter Week to prevent the Jews from leaving at those times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Museum in Prague</span> Museum in Czech Republic

The Jewish Museum in Prague is a museum of Jewish heritage in the Czech Republic and one of the most visited museums in Prague. Its collection of Judaica is one of the largest in the world, about 40,000 objects, 100,000 books, and a copious archive of Czech Jewish community histories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Innsbruck</span> Ethnic group

The history of the Jews in Innsbruck dates back to the 13th century, where the Jewish community of Innsbruck was relatively small with many expulsions occurring over the centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Quarter of Třebíč</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vysočina Region, Czech Republic

The Jewish Quarter of Třebíč is a neighborhood and former ghetto in the town of Třebíč, located in western Moravia, Czech Republic. The Jewish Quarter is situated on the north bank of the River Jihlava and is one of the best preserved Jewish ghettos in Europe. In 2003, together with the nearby Jewish Cemetery and the St. Procopius Basilica in Třebíč, the Jewish Quarter was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, because of its testimony to the exchange of cultures and values in the region. As of 2013, it is the only Jewish monument outside Israel specifically placed on the World Heritage List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinkas Synagogue</span> Synagogue in Pinkas, Czech Republic

The Pinkas Synagogue is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Široká 3, in the Jewish Town of Prague, in the Czech Republic. Completed in 1535, the synagogue the second oldest surviving synagogue in Prague and was completed in the Gothic style. Its origins date from the 15th century and are connected with the Horowitz family, a renowned Jewish family in Prague. Today, the synagogue is administered by the Jewish Museum in Prague and commemorates approximately 80,000 Czech Jewish victims of The Shoah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klausen Synagogue</span> Former synagogue in Prague, in the Czech Republic

The Klausen Synagogue is a former Jewish synagogue located in Prague, in the Czech Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stolpersteine in Prague-Josefov</span>

The Stolpersteine in Prague-Josefov lists the Stolpersteine in the town quarter Josefov of Prague, the former Jewish quarter of the city. Stolpersteine is the German name for stumbling blocks collocated all over Europe by German artist Gunter Demnig. They remember the fate of the Nazi victims being murdered, deported, exiled or driven to suicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Bratislava</span> History of a Jewish community in Slovakia

The first record of the Jewish community in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, dates from 1251. Until the end of World War I, Bratislava was a multicultural city with a Hungarian and German majority and a Slovak and Jewish minority. In 1806 when the city was part of the Kingdom of Hungary, Rabbi Moses Sofer established the Pressburg Yeshiva and the city emerged as the center of Central European Jewry and a leading power in the opposition to the Reform movement in Judaism in Europe. Pressburg Yeshiva produced hundreds of future leaders of Austro-Hungarian Jewry who made major influence on the general traditional orthodox and future Charedi Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish community of Mainz</span> Community in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

The Jewish Community of Mainz had significance throughout Europe in the High Middle Ages, was destroyed several times, and has re-emerged even after the Holocaust.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Levine, Menachem (6 October 2022). "The Jewish History of Prague". Aish.com. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Weiner, Rebecca. "Virtual Jewish World: Prague, Czech Republic". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  3. Margolis, Max Leopold; Marx, Alexander (1969). A History of the Jewish People. New York: Scribner. ISBN   9780689701344.
  4. 1 2 "The Jewish Community of Prague". Open Databases Project, Museum of the Jewish People.
  5. 1 2 Abrahams, Israel (2004). Jewish Life in the Middle Ages. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. ISBN   9780486437583.
  6. Rupnow, Dirk (2016). "Chapter 15: What if the Final Solution had been completed?: Nazi memory in a victorious Reich". In Rosenfeld, Gavriel David (ed.). What ifs of Jewish history: from Abraham to Zionism. New York, N.Y: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9781107037625.
  7. 1 2 "Prague Jewish Quarter (Josefov) - what to see in Prague - Czech Republic". www.prague.cz.
  8. Spicer, Joaneath (1996). "The Star of David and Jewish Culture in Prague around 1600, Reflected in Drawings of Roelandt Savery and Paulus van Vianen". The Journal of the Walters Art Gallery. 54: 211. JSTOR   20169118.

Further reading