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On this exciting 3 hour walk, you will trace the history of the
Jewish community from its early medieval beginning to the most important
moments during the era of the Emperors through its struggles and triumphs in
the twentieth century.
The rich history of the Jewish settlement in Prague dates back
to the tenth century; at the latest from twelfth century Jews formed their
community near the very heart of the Old Town, in proximity to main merchant
roads leading from the Old town to the Prague Castle. This location of the
Jewish Ghetto remained more or less the same until 20th century when it
definitely lost its medieval and late-medieval look and transformed into its
current Art Nouveau state.
You will spend a significant amount of time exploring the many
synagogues that remain open to the public, including the Old New Synagogue,
which is the oldest remaining Synagogue in Europe. The Jewish Cemetery, which
dates from the fifteenth century, presents a unique opportunity to discuss
burial customs and rituals, while the Jewish Town Hall gives space to explore
the flourishing of the Jewish community in the 16th century.
In
the development of the Jewish community in Prague there is a pattern common to
other European cities: isolation, slow gaining of privileges and rights and
their subsequent loss, threats of pogroms, and gradual assimilation and
emancipation during the Enlightenment. From the nineteenth century the Ghetto
became a literary theme not only for Jewish writers, but for German and Czech
writers as well. At this point, one matter starts to be an important feature of
Prague: its unique atmosphere of three interwoven cultures (Czech, German, and
Jewish) of which Franz Kafka is just one, although the most widely known,
example.
Led by an expert in religious history, you will come away with
an appreciation for the unique qualities of the Jewish community in Prague and
its place within the context of the history of the European Jewish community.
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