OLD JEWISH CEMETERY

Description

Essentials about the Old Jewish Cemetery in brief

The Old Jewish Cemetery in the Josefov district is one of the two most famous Jewish cemeteries in Prague and one of the historically most important Jewish cemeteries in Europe. It is located in the former Jewish quarter of Prague’s Old Town and dates back to the first half of the 15th century. Despite its small area of only about one hectare, it contains over 12,000 gravestones and probably the bones of about 100,000 people. A walk through the cemetery with its many mounds and its gravestones pushed in and on top of each other is an experience of a mystical kind.

The history of the Old Jewish Cemetery

In 1478 the Jewish Garden in Prague’s New Town, probably the oldest of the Jewish cemeteries in Prague, was closed by King Vladislav II. Jagiello closed it. Thus, the already existing cemetery in Josefov became the main burial place of Prague Jews until 1787. When burials in the city center were also banned in Prague by Emperor Joseph II, the Jewish community switched to burying their dead in the cemetery in the Žižkov district in 1787. Finally, at the end of the 19th century, a communal necropolis for Prague was created in Žižkov. Immediately adjacent to it, the Jewish community acquired a large plot of land and helped to establish a new cemetery there in 1890, which is still in use today.

The Old Jewish Cemetery still corresponds almost to its medieval dimensions, as there was no possibility of expansion in the Jewish ghetto. Since the Jewish faith forbids the dissolution of graves, the deceased were buried in up to twelve layers for lack of space. Over time, this led to the formation of many mounds, which in turn pushed the gravestones in and on top of each other. This bizarre appearance makes a walk through the Old Jewish Cemetery a somewhat mystical experience.

Enclosed by a high wall, the winding plot lies between the Pinkas and Klaus Synagogues. The Old New Synagogue and the Maisel Synagogue are also nearby. In 1866, some Gothic gravestones from the abandoned Jewish Garden were walled into the enclosure.

The grave inscriptions on the Old Jewish Cemetery

The grave inscriptions and the many symbols on the tombstones are still an impressive testimony of life in the Prague ghetto. Not only the date of birth and death of the people can be seen on the stones. Much of what shaped the lives of the deceased can also be read here. For example, functions within the community, special characteristics and charities performed were carved in stone. Also the affiliation to a certain biblical tribe is often recorded. Thus, in the Kohen tribe, members were often priests, whose symbol is the blessing hands. The Levites, who were allowed to perform services in the temple, had the jar as their symbol.

General Jewish symbolism is also found on many gravestones, such as the vine, which embodies abundance, or the crown, which symbolizes scholarship. Names were also frequently symbolized by representations of plants or animal sculptures, such as deer, flowers, or lions. Likewise, the occupations of many buried people are still recognizable today from the grave symbols. A pair of scissors, for example, indicates a tailor, a mortar a pharmacist and a violin a musician.