Gnarled tombstones huddle together like gossiping elders. Here at the Old Jewish Cemetery, we find ourselves amidst a silent city of stories. This is not just any graveyard. It is a testament to Prague’s enduring Jewish heritage.
Prague’s Old Jewish Cemetery ranks among Europe’s oldest Jewish burial grounds. Its story stretches back to the early 15th century. Imagine this space centuries ago.
The oldest visible gravestone marks the resting place of poet Avigdor Kara dating back to 1439. He lived through the worst pogrom in the ghetto. The cemetery remained in use until 1787. Emperor Joseph II then decreed that burials within the city were unhygienic.
Look around at the seemingly chaotic arrangement of tombstones. Over 12000 gravestones stand here. But the number of bodies buried far exceeds that. Space was always a premium in the Jewish ghetto. Jewish law forbade disturbing existing graves. To solve this problem, they buried bodies in layers sometimes up to twelve deep. This created the uneven terrain we see today. The cemetery’s surface rises far above the surrounding streets because of the layers.
Notice the different styles of the tombstones. The oldest ones are rather plain. As the Renaissance dawned, stelae became more elaborate. They bore the deceased’s name and symbols representing their life or profession. Baroque tombs boast lengthy inscriptions. They praise the virtues of the departed. Historians believe some errors exist. Christian stonemasons were possibly unfamiliar with Hebrew and the Jewish calendar.
Many notable figures rest in the Old Jewish Cemetery. Among them is Judah Loew ben Bezalel. He is better known as Rabbi Löw. Legend says he created the Golem. Another prominent figure is Mordechai Maisel. He was the mayor of the Jewish Town in the 16th century. David Gans was a humanist scholar. He excelled as a historian, mathematician, and astronomer. Joseph Solomon Delmedigo was a scholar and historian. Rabbi David Oppenheim was a collector of ancient Jewish manuscripts.
The Old Jewish Cemetery is part of Prague’s Jewish Museum. It offers a poignant look into the past. As you leave through the exit near the Klausen Synagogue remember. You’ve walked among the echoes of generations. Their stories are etched in stone. They whisper on the wind within the Old Jewish Cemetery.