Last visit : March 2023
Duration of the visit : one and a half hours
My rating : 7/10
Introduction
Prague, a city of a thousand souls, bears the memory of centuries of history and culture imprinted in its stones. Among its wonders, the Old Jewish Cemetery stands out as one of the most touching testimonies of the Jewish presence in the city. Located in the heart of Josefov, the ancient Jewish ghetto, this place fascinates with its atmosphere suspended in time and the stratification of history it tells.
Prague's Jewish Community: A Thousand-Year History
Prague is certainly one of the cities in the world where the presence of the Jewish community has left a more noticeable mark. Walking around Prague, everything recalls the influence of Jewish culture, from the name of Franz Kafka, which appears everywhere, in place names, on posters, in shops, to the figure of the Golem, transformed into a mascot for sale in various formats in souvenir shops.
The Jewish presence in Prague dates back to the 10th century, with a community that, between persecutions and moments of cultural flourishing, has shaped the city's history. Over the centuries, the Jewish quarter has undergone numerous changes, from the establishment of a segregated area in the 13th century to the destruction of the Crusades and pogroms. However, at times, Prague has also been a center of extraordinary cultural ferment for the Jewish community. During the Renaissance, Rabbi Jehuda Loew ben Bezalel, best known for the legend of the Golem, contributed to the rise of Prague as one of the main centers of Torah study in Europe.
Over time, Jewish emancipation in the 19th century led to the progressive integration of the community, but the 20th century marked a tragic watershed with Nazi persecution and the deportation of most of Prague's Jews to the extermination camps.
The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague: A Place Out of Time
The cemetery was established around 1439 and was active until 1787, when the city authorities banned its use for hygienic reasons. During these three centuries, it became the only burial place for the Jewish community of Prague, which led to the overlapping of graves on several levels, with estimates of over 12,000 visible gravestones and around 100,000 actual burials. When visiting the cemetery, it is therefore important to be clear that what you see is not the result of Nazi persecution, but the burial place of the Jewish community over the centuries of settlement on the banks of the Danube.
One of the most striking features of the cemetery is its chaotic expanse of tombstones, which seem to emerge one above the other in a suggestive and symbolic disorder. This effect is due to the need to reuse the space over the centuries: in Jewish tradition, in fact, it is not permitted to remove the tombs, and for this reason the layers of earth were superimposed, with the consequent relocation of the tombstones.
The sight of the gravestones inscribed in Hebrew characters, piled one on top of the other in a chaotic way, looming over each other, some collapsing, others crooked, sometimes covered in moss, other times worn by the elements is aesthetically suggestive. Even knowing that the people who rest in these places are not victims of the Shoah, it is inevitable that thoughts run to the Holocaust, even if this is a historically incorrect idea. Beyond the aesthetic suggestion of the place, however, what transpires from this place is a feeling of containment; the reason why the tombs have piled up on top of each other is the lack of space, the need to concentrate the burial places in a closed place surrounded by buildings, and it is inevitable, especially in these times of extreme conflict between the Arab and Israeli worlds, to interpret this place as a synecdoche of the entire Jewish population (I purposely use the word "population" to avoid any political subtext aimed at qualifying Israel as an occupying and colonialist state, rather than as a state confined and surrounded at 360 degrees by Arab countries).
Among the most significant burials is that of Rabbi Jehuda Loew, one of the most revered figures in Jewish mysticism. His tomb is surrounded by notes with prayers and requests, a sign of the faithful's persistent devotion. Other illustrious figures rest in the cemetery, including Mordechai Maisel, a patron of the Jewish community in the 16th century, and David Gans, a historian and astronomer.
The Jewish Museum and the Commemoration of the Victims
In addition to visiting the cemetery, an equally moving experience is offered by the Jewish Museum, located in the Pinkas Synagogue. Here, on the interior walls, are engraved the names of more than 77,000 Czech and Moravian Jews deported to Nazi death camps. The effect is deeply moving: each name represents a life cut short, an existence erased by the horror of persecution. Upstairs, the museum houses an extraordinary collection of drawings made by children interned in Terezín. These drawings, often simple and childish, but of shocking emotional power, document the hope, fear and broken dreams of hundreds of young victims of the Holocaust.
The Nazi Occupation and the Devastation of the Jewish Community
With the Nazi occupation of Prague in 1939, the Jewish community suffered one of its most tragic pages. The ghetto was dismantled and its inhabitants deported to concentration camps, especially to Terezín, which served as a transit camp before being sent to Auschwitz and other extermination camps.
Despite the devastation, the Old Jewish Cemetery remained intact, a fact that many interpret as part of the macabre Nazi will to preserve some places of Jewish culture to make them a “Museum of the extinct race” in the future. Today, the cemetery and the nearby Jewish Museum represent a very important testimony of the past and a warning against the oblivion of memory.
Practical tips for your visit
The Old Jewish Cemetery is part of the Jewish Museum in Prague and can be visited by purchasing a ticket that also includes the city's historic synagogues.
Opening hours and access : The cemetery is open every day except Saturdays and Jewish holidays. It is advisable to check the updated opening hours on the official website of the Jewish Museum in Prague.
What to bring : The visit takes place outdoors, so it is a good idea to wear comfortable shoes and, in winter, warm clothing. In the summer months, a hat and a bottle of water are useful to deal with the heat. The route through the cemetery follows a mandatory path traced from the entrance to the exit that is followed in single file with the other visitors; the whole path takes something like half an hour, depending on the pace.
Respect and behavior : Being a sacred place, decent clothing is required and men must wear a kippah, which can be borrowed at the entrance. Photography is generally allowed, but it is good to do so with respect.
Conclusion
Visiting the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague is a must-see when visiting Prague, a place that is an integral part of the city in every sense; visiting the Jewish Cemetery means immersing yourself in the centuries-old history of a nomadic people, with a tragic history, which has profoundly influenced European and world history and culture. It is a place that goes beyond simple tourist interest and the aesthetic appeal of the ancient burial site of a tormented people, stimulating profound reflection on the past and the traces it leaves in the present. By contemplating its irregular tombstones, visitors can perceive the stratification of memories that intertwine among the stones, in a perennial warning against oblivion; a visit to the Jewish Museum and the Synagogue complete a historical journey through Jewish culture and its integration with the city of Prague.
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