The '''Jewish Town''' of Prague (Czech: ''Josefov'') is an area near the Old Town.

Understand

On 15 March 1939, Germany occupied the Czech lands, establishing the so-called Protectorate. At that time 118,000 Jews were living in the Czech lands. This included 30,000 refugees from the mostly-German Sudetenland area in Western Bohemia, the area which gave the Germans a convenient excuse to intervene in Czechoslovakia's domestic affairs after Western diplomats abandoned the country with the Munich Agreement. This agreement, in which Hitler was ceded control of the Sudetenland to hopefully appease his hunger for new lands to the East, is best known for the statement made by England's Prime Minister justifying his position: "Czechoslovakia is a far-away land of people about whom we know nothing." Expendable, in other words. This did not set a good precedent for treatment of the Jews. By 15 March 1945, only 3030 Jews remained in the entire Protectorate (2.5% of the original number). 71,000 Czech and Moravian Jews had been killed in concentration camps alone, not to mention those who were passively killed by diseases and hunger in such "model" camps as Terezin (Theresienstadt) to the northwest of Prague.

The Jewish Quarter lends itself to exploration, contemplation and a deeper understanding of what Prague's Jews have endured throughout the centuries. Paradoxically, Hitler is to thank for the Quarter's continued existence - he intended to create an "Exotic Museum of an Extinct Race" here after the end of the war.

Get in

See

  • '''Old-New Synagogue''' [http://www.sacred-destinations.com/czech-republic/prague-old-new-synagogue.htm]. The name sounds strange for a building from the 13th century but it was originally just 'New' to distinguish it from an even older synagogue. This was replaced by the Spanish Synagogue in the 17th century, when the Old-New Synagogue acquired its current name.
  • Pinkas Synagogue. iroka ulice 3. 420 222 326 660. ttp://www.jewishmuseum.cz/. ours: November - March: 9 - 16:30. April - October: 9 - 18:00. Closed Saturday (Jewish Sabbath) and Jewish holidays. Inside the front door of the Pinkas Synagogue, inscribed in tiny red and black letters on almost every square inch of wallspace are the names of 77,297 Jews who were killed in the war. This visual representation humanizes such a number, attaching names to the statistics. In larger type at the front of the synagogue are the names of the concentration camps in which they perished: Dachau, Mauthausen, Oswiecim (Auschwitz) and others. The second floor houses a moving exhibit of children's art which is smaller than the original exhibit at
  • King Solomon. iroka 8. 420 2 24 81 87 52. olomon@kosher.cz. 420 2 74 86 46 64. ttp://www.kosher.cz/. ours: Sun. - Thurs.: 12PM-11:20PM (Kitchen closes at 10:30PM), Friday: Sabbath dinner only by reservation, Saturday: Sabbath lunch only by reservation. 50 CZK (?18)+ per person. Credit card payments accepted with a 1,000 CZK minimum charge.. Kosher restaurant.

    Drink

    Sleep

    There are kosher apartments in Prague Jewish quarter, with kosher breakfasts available. The apartments are just few minutes walk to Synagogue and kosher restaurants. You can see details at Prague Jewish guide [http://www.chabadprague.cz/].

    There are also several non-kosher hotels in Prague Jewish quarter within walking distance to synagogue and kosher restaurants, where you can get kosher breakfast upon request. For further details see Prague Jewish guide.

  • '''Bellagio Hotel''', U Milosyrdnych 2, tel. +420 221 778 900, [http://www.bellagiohotel.cz]. An elegant Italian-style 4 star hotel. All the rooms are equipped with ensuite bathroom, hairdryer, bidet, LCD tv screen, free wi fi connection, safe, minibar, and direct dial phone. The hotel was completely rebuilt from on original residential building during 2002 / 2003.
  • Contact