Well, here we are again. Another has come and gone and so to has another adventure. Today we traveled to a section of the city with a history that I am sure most people would prefer to keep in the back of their minds: the Jewish Quarter.

I am sure most people are probably thinking “here we go again” with talking about Jewish history. However, this is a story that needs to heard and a location that needs to be seen.

The Jewish Quarter, as the name implies, was the home of the population of Prague. The Jews first came to Bohemia in the 10th century and were granted the right to stay here by Premyslid Dynasty. There was a catch though, the Jews were forced to live in areas of city called ghettos and they were not high-end living. This era was not one of extreme persecution for the Jews, at least here in Prague, but the fact that they were corned off in a tiny section of town I am sure was frustrating for them. Somehow, the Jews made the best of their arrangements and the Jewish Quarter became the center of Jewish culture for the city. Many synagogues have been raised throughout the years, a large cemetery lies at the center, and history can be seen with every step you take. The Jews were still ostracized throughout their time here and when the Germans came right before World War II, their fate was sealed and they were trapped. Most people know the story of the Holocaust and how an 6 million Jews faced death or tortuous conditions. In Prague, the Jews were cornered off into specific ghettos in the area by force. Many people were forced out of their homes into smaller ghetto areas. Normally, you would get thrown into a ghetto then later shipped out to concentration camp or death camp. A famous ghetto is known as Terezin and it was known for having slightly better conditions. This ghetto was known for housing more famous people than anything else. However, this fact did not matter because even the famous people would shipped out to their deaths eventually.

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Our journey through the Jewish Quarter began by entering the Maisel Synagogue, a Neo-Gothic designed Jewish place of worship. Though, not still an active synagogue, it has been turned into a museum with a wide array of artifacts to check out. They have Torah scrolls and mantles, menorah of many different designs, and many other items donated by people over time. Something that caught my attention was the symbol that once stood on the Jewish Town Hall was also here. The symbol depicts a “a star of David” surrounded by flowers with the stereotypical pointed hat in the center of the star. To those who do not know, this hat, also known as a Jewish Hat, is something you may have seen Jews wearing if you went back in time to the Middle Ages and the following centuries. It was originally not required to be worn, but certain decisions were made to force them to wear them so they can be distinguished. I do not fully understand if this was a means for a Christians to pick on Jews, but the hat became a stereotypical symbol of the Jews after this. The fact that it is on the emblem from the Jewish Town Hall proves how deep the belief came over time.

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Our next stop took us the famous Old-New Synagogue, a small synagogue with quite a history behind it. This location was built using stones from another synagogue that was destroyed prior to the construction of the Old-New Synagogue. The architecture of this location is Gothic and it was built back in the 13th century. If you are walking through the Jewish Quarter, you may accidently miss seeing this location because it blends in well with other buildings around it. The Old-New Synagogue is more traditional and still active as a synagogue. The location has withstood the test of time for centuries and will most likely continue to in the future.

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Next up, we traveled over to the Klaus Synagogue. Now this is a location you will definitely miss if you are not looking for it. It looks like a normal building on the outside with almost no distinguishable qualities about it on the exterior. However, just like the Maisel Synagogue, the Klaus Synagogue has been turned into an exhibit with a wide array of donated items to display Jewish culture. Items ranging from mantles and Torah scrolls to ritual equipment and even Jewish dining sets. This may not sound interesting to most people, but this place is definitely worth a stop if you are passing through.

Continuing next door, we went into the Jewish Ceremonial Hall, a location whose history was not heavily described to us at all. This location is not very old being built back in the early-20th century. Its appearance may fool you into thinking it is centuries old. It too has become a museum for Jewish artifacts.

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The next location we traveled to was the Pinkas Synagogue, a location with quite a story. The Pinkas Synagogue was built back in the 16th century and is named for the legend with a character of the same name: Pinkas. The story says that Pinkas was a poor man who somehow had gained the favor of a count in the area. The count, however, was frustrated by Pinkas because every time the count did something nice for him, Pinkas thanked God and not him. One day, Pinkas somehow found the corpse of the nobleman’s pet monkey and somehow found gold coins in its stomach. This was revealed to be because the nobleman apparently put coins in his mouth to test authenticity and the monkey began copying him. Pinkas then approached the count who explained what was just mentioned. This was revealed to be a gift for Pinkas who, with the gold coins, bought resources for his family and expanded his trade so that he could make a name for himself. The Pinkas Synagogue is named in honor of his legend. Within the synagogue is a memorial that may break ones heart. Inside, if you look on the walls of the interior you will see the names every Holocaust victim written down. This takes up most of the interior of the building. The first and second floor walls are filled with names and locations for the victims. I could not believe my eyes. I have seen many Holocaust memorials, but this one is, in my opinion, the most personal. Also if you go to the second floor, you will a room filled with artwork made by children who were trapped in the Terezin ghetto. You can get a look into how the children viewed their circumstances. This is a stop that cannot be missed.

With the Pinkas Synagogue complex, we found the entrance to Old Jewish Cemetery mentioned earlier. This place was, as you would expect, quite extensive. This cemetery has Jewish graves dating back to the beginnings of their time in Prague. Their were so many graves here that tombstones are falling all over each other. It seems like it would be hard to locate specific individuals. A popular stop here is the grave of Rabbi Loew, a rabbi from the legend of the Golem. The legend says that Rabbi Loew constructed a clay doll, brought it to life, and instructed it protect the Jewish people from persecutors. This legend may sound ridiculous to most, but the fact that the rabbi has a grave here may prove that he was at least a real figure. I did my best to not take many pictures here out of respect for those buried.

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Our final stop for today was a stop at the Spanish Synagogue located a few streets over. This building has the most fascinating architectural style I had seen all day. On the outside, this location looks like just another building, but on the inside you get a look at Jewish styles blended with the Moorish styles of the Spanish. The designs blew my mind completely out of the water. Being built in the late-19th century, this location may not be as old as most of the buildings in the Jewish Quarter, but it holds the most intricate designs of most of the district.

The Jewish history of Prague may not be as detailed as stories of Jews in other parts of Europe, but the Czech Jews are a group that need to have their story told. Today, if you visit the Jewish Quarter, you may not even realize where you are. The entrance to the community is located near the Old Town Square, but has been converted into shops for many high-end clothing brands. Most of the Jews who lived here were killed during the war, so this place has become a giant tourist attraction for the city. To me, it is a sad fact when a culture is turned into a tourist attraction, but the story needs to be heard one way or another. If you are passing through this side of town, do yourself a favor and stop in the Jewish Quarter so you can understand what happened here.

After our tour of the Jewish Quarter, we went to have lunch at a Thai restaurant near by and then we proceeded to go our separate ways for the next few hours. Around 7pm, some of us met up with the professors so that we could attend a classical music concert at Smetana Hall located in the Municipal Building mentioned before. This concert was slightly different from the concert we attended last Sunday. We knew most of the tunes being played tonight. I think this is why I preferred the first concert more, because I got to here music I had almost no experience with.

Another day’s journey ends and I cannot help but feel sad that we are leaving Prague in less than a week. However, this just means I need to enjoy every moment I have left here. Tomorrow is our second free day, I cannot wait to go and explore more of this wonderful city.