After I left Old Town Square, I rounded the bend and walked several blocks to
The Jewish Quarter. Jews have lived in Prague for over 1000 years. During the 17th century, Prague had the largest number of Ashkenasic Jews (descended Jews from the Rhineland of Germany) in the world estimating at 15,000. Ironically, the Jewish ghetto "Josefov" formed in the 19th century, but was cleared out as Jews were deported to Polish concentration camps during Nazi Germany occupation in WWII. At the turn of the 21st century, the Jewish Quarter community dwindled down to 1,600 but remains a well-visited tourist spot in Prague today.
The
Old-New Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter is the oldest synagogue in Europe and is still used as a house of worship.
Small outdoor booths lined up to the gates of the
Old Jewish Cemetary.
Rabbi Judah Loew Ben Bezalel, known as the Maharal of Prague, served as Prague's chief rabbi from 1597 - 1609. Considered as Prague's greatest Jewish scholar, he lies buried in the Old Jewish Cemetary below. The cemetary has 12,000 visible tombs, but is estimated to have as many as 100,000 tombs in all. Today, it serves as a pilgramage site for Jews worldwide.
Mazel tov!
