Going to the Synagogue

 

I don't know much about other religions, especially Judaism. Even though the Holocaust has been something I have read about and studied since I was in elementary school I never learned much about their beliefs and customs. Prague had a huge Jewish population starting back in the 1400's. They started off in one area, and heavily populated it and when restrictions were made throughout the centuries about what Jews could do and where they could live, they were forced back and confined to this area, Josefov, or the Jewish Quarters.

I started off the morning in the Pinkas Synagogue, which has turned into a war memorial for Czech Jews killed by Nazis during World War II. On the walls of the synagogue are the names of those killed and where they lived. I wish I could describe how it felt walking in and seeing the walls covered in small writing. It was intense and incredibly overwhelming.  More than 80,000 names were painted on the walls. 80,000. Seeing those names on the wall made it so much more real. Its hard for me to grasp sometimes how many people were actually killed in the Holocaust, and seeing each individuals name made it palpable. It made it so much more personal. I can't imagine what it would be like to see the names of all 6 million Jews that were killed. How big of a place would be needed to fit all those names...

I didn't stay on the main level of the synagogue for very long. The longer I looked at the names the more nauseated I felt. Upstairs they have a picture gallery, pictures drawn by Jewish children after they were deported to the Jewish Ghetto, Terezin. Only 242 of the 10,000 kids survived the war. It was so interesting to see the various things that the children (ages 15 and under) drew. They had grouped the pictures together by subject matter, and I was so surprised at how joyous and hopeful so many of the pictures were. I am always amazed at the resilience of spirit, and the faith and hope that so many held onto while they lived out a nightmare. They had on display one of the stars of David that they were forced to wear on their clothes. I was so disgusted as I looked at the star, and thought of all the Jews endured. There was a plaque by the star that discussed the treatment of the Jews at the beginning of the war- segregation, having to sit on the back of the bus... it made me think of Corrie Ten Boom finally making it to America after surviving a concentration camp, thinking she was coming to a place where people were treated equally, only to find so many similarities in how the African Americans were treated.

Outside the Synagogue is the Old Jewish Cemetery, this is not a Holocaust site as those Jews killed in the war very rarely had a place to be buried. The earliest grave stone is from the mid 1400's, and was used until the late 1700's. This was the only place where Jews were allowed to be buried. There were over 12,000 grave markers, but there are so many more graves than markers. The space was not large enough so they had to keep bringing in dirt and layer upon layer place more graves.

It was incredibly peaceful, and somber there. Since these were the first places I went that morning I beat the crowds and there were only a couple other people in the cemetery which allowed me to really take my time reflecting on things, and not get distracted by other people.

 

It's an ancient tradition to place small pebbles or pieces of paper with good wishes on the grave markers.

 

After leaving the cemetery, I went to the Maisel, Klausen and Spanish Synagogues. Each synagogue discussed different things about Judaism and had displays to go along with it. I learned about their burial customs, other customs and traditions, the history and significance of their holidays, their best poets and artists and a little about their lives during WWII. It was great to be able to read a little bit about the religion and to see that some things were similar or reminded me of how things are in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was  interesting to draw parallels between the two. 

Most of the places I went in, actually all of them, did not allow pictures. The majority of the synagogues were rather simple, and the main function now is to display information and relics, the exceptions being Pinkas and the Spanish Synagogue. The Spanish synagogue was so ornate and intricate inside. It reminded me a lot of the Hassan II Mosque in Morocco, all the walls and the ceiling were covered in incredibly detailed work. When you walk in it looks like it is all carved, but as you get closer you realize everything is painted on, which is still very cool but much less impressive. The outside of it was also very pretty, but much more understated.

 

 

All this and it was only 11:30!