The Prague Jewish Museum isn’t simply one museum, but a grouping of historic synagogues and an ancient burial ground. The holdings constitute possibly the world’s biggest collection of sacred Jewish artifacts, many rescued from synagogues destroyed by Nazi Germany during WWII. The crumbling Old Jewish Cemetery is a must. The weatherworn headstones mark just a fraction of the thousands buried here.
Old Jewish Cemetery
The highly evocative, unforgettable Old Jewish Cemetery is Europe’s oldest surviving Jewish graveyard. Founded in the early 15th century, it has a palpable atmosphere of mourning, even after more than two centuries of disuse (it was closed in 1787). Around 12,000 crumbling stones (some brought from other, long-gone cemeteries) are heaped together, but beneath them are tens of thousands of graves, piled in layers because of a lack of space.
The most prominent graves, marked by pairs of marble tablets with a "roof" between them, are near the main gate; among them are the graves of 16th-century benefactor and community leader Mordechai Maisel and the fabled Rabbi Loew. The oldest stone (now replaced by a replica) is that of Avigdor Karo, a chief rabbi and court poet to Wenceslas IV, who died in 1439. Most stones bear the name of the deceased and his or her father, the date of death (and sometimes of burial) and poetic texts. Elaborate markers from the 17th and 18th centuries are carved with bas-reliefs, some of them indicating the deceased’s occupation – look out for a pair of hands marking the grave of a pianist.
Old-New Synagogue
Completed around 1270, the Old-New Synagogue is Europe’s oldest working synagogue and one of Prague’s earliest Gothic buildings. Around the central chamber are an entry hall, a winter prayer hall and the room from which women watch the men-only services. The interior, with a pulpit surrounded by a 15th-century wrought-iron grill, looks much as it would have 500 years ago.
The 17th-century scriptures on the walls were recovered from beneath a later "restoration." On the eastern wall is the Holy Ark that holds the Torah scrolls. In a glass case at the rear, little light bulbs beside the names of the prominent deceased are lit on their death days.
Children of Terezín
The handsome Pinkas Synagogue, built in 1535 and used for worship until 1941, is a highlight for many visitors. After WWII the synagogue was converted into a memorial, with wall after wall inscribed with the names, birthdates and dates of disappearance of the 77,297 Czech victims of the Nazis. The space also contains a moving collection of paintings and drawings by children held in the Terezín concentration camp.
History of Jews in Bohemia
Two synagogues are home to a long exhibition on the history of Jews in Bohemia and Moravia. The exhibition begins in the neo-Gothic Maisel Synagogue, where artifacts such as ceremonial silver, textiles, prints and books tell this history from the 10th to the 18th centuries.
About two blocks east of the Maisel, the highly ornate, Moorish-style Spanish Synagogue picks up this history in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Religious Rituals
Two other structures, the Klaus Synagogue and the Ceremonial Hall, for years have displayed objects used in Jewish worship and tradition, including family ceremonies and the rites associated with birth, circumcision, bar mitzvah and marriage. As this guide was being researched, the Jewish Museum announced plans to introduce new permanent exhibitions here. Check the website to see what's on during your visit.
Visiting the Museum
One basic admission ticket allows entry to all of the main monuments, including the Old-New Synagogue. Buy tickets on the museum website or at the Museum Reservation Centre (Maiselova 15). Some individual synagogues also have ticket windows. Several local agencies, including the museum itself, offer guided tours of the museum. Enquire about the museum's tours via email at IRC@jewishmuseum.cz.
