How many stories lie beneath our feet at the Starý židovský hřbitov? This is not just a cemetery. It is one of the most significant Jewish historical monuments in Prague. It is also among the largest of its kind in Europe.
The Starý židovský hřbitov served Prague’s Jewish community from the first half of the 15th century until 1786. Renowned personalities were buried here. Among them was Rabbi Jehuda Liva ben Becalel known as Maharal. Also interred here are businessman Mordecai Meisel historian David Gans and Rabbi David Oppenheim. Today the Jewish Museum in Prague administers the cemetery.
Before this, Prague Jews buried their dead in the Jewish Garden. King Vladislaus II closed it in 1478 because of complaints from Prague citizens. The Old Jewish Cemetery began before the closure of the Jewish Garden. The oldest gravestone belongs to Rabbi Avigdor Kara and dates back to 1439.
The last gravestone dates to 1787. Emperor Josef II banned burials inside city walls three years earlier. This ban was for hygienic reasons. Prague Jews then used a cemetery in Žižkov. It was founded in the 17th century due to a plague epidemic.
The Starý židovský hřbitov struggled with space for over three centuries. Jewish tradition forbade abolishing old graves. The community could only occasionally purchase more land. They often had to create space by heaping new soil layers. Some places have as many as twelve layers. This ensured older graves remained intact.
Adding new levels meant either covering older gravestones. Alternatively they elevated the stones to the new surface. This created the dense forest of gravestones we see today. Many stones commemorate individuals buried several layers down. The cemetery surface is several meters higher than surrounding streets. Retaining walls hold the soil and graves in place.
There are two kinds of Jewish burial monuments. The older is a rectangular slab of wood or stone. Later came the tumba. It resembles a small house. Tumbas commemorate figures such as Maharal and Mordecai Maisel. The remains lie buried underneath.
The oldest gravestones are plain. Soon ornaments increased. These included pilasters volutes and false portals. Most decorated gravestones date to the 17th century. Every gravestone has Hebrew letters. These letters state the deceased’s name and death date. From the 16th century gravestones used symbols. These hinted at the person’s life character or profession. A lion might represent Arye Leib or Yehudah. A bird could represent Tzipora Feigele or Taubele.
David Gans a mathematician astronomer and historian is also buried here. His gravestone features the Star of David and a goose. Mordecai Katz ben Gershom and his son Betzalel were important Prague Jewish printers. Rabbi David Oppenheim’s tumba features a hexagram. Rabbi and poet Avigdor Kara’s gravestone is the oldest. His elegy about a Prague Ghetto pogrom is still recited on Yom Kippur. Aharon Meshulam Horowitz who initiated the Pinkas Synagogue is also buried here. Children who died before one month are buried on the hill Nephele. Mordecai Maisel builder of the Maisel Synagogue has the oldest tumba. Rabbi Judah Löw ben Betzalel known as Maharal rests under a tumba with lion and wine grape symbols. Hendl Bassevi’s tumba is perhaps the most representative. Lions carry her husband’s coat of arms. Joseph Solomon Delmedigo a physician and scholar is also buried here.
The Starý židovský hřbitov stands as a testament to Prague’s rich Jewish history. It is a place of reflection remembrance and respect.