History of the Jews in the Czech Republic

History of the Jews in the Czech Republic

Jews in the Czech Republic are predominantly Ashkenazic Jews, and the current Jewish population is only a fraction of the First republic's Jewish population. As of 2005, there were approximately 4,000 Jews living in the Czech Republic.[1] There are ten small Jewish communities all around the country (seven in Bohemia and three in Moravia). The umbrella organisation for the Jewish communities in the country is the Federation of Jewish Communities (FZO). Services have been held in Prague and some other cities.

As part of the original Czechoslovakia, and before that the Austro-Hungarian Empire the Jews had a long association with this part of Europe.[2] Throughout the last thousand years there have emerged over 600 Jewish communities in the Kingdom of Bohemia.[3] According to the 1930 census, Czechoslovakia had a Jewish population of 356,830.[4]

Contents

Jewish Prague

Jews are believed to have settled in Prague as early as the 10th century. The 16th century was a golden age for Jewry in Prague. One of the famous Jewish scholars of the time was Judah Loew ben Bezalel known as the Maharal, who served as a leading rabbi in Prague for most of his life. He is buried at the Old Jewish Cemetery in Josefov, and his grave with its tombstone intact, can still be visited. It is said that the body of Golem (created by Maharal) lies in the attic of the Old New Synagogue where the genizah of Prague's community is kept.[5] In 1708, Jews accounted for one-quarter of Prague’s population.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ The Virtual Jewish Library - Jewish population of Czech republic, 2005
  2. ^ The Jews and Jewish Communities of Bohemia in the past and present
  3. ^ Czech Synagogues and Cemeteries
  4. ^ The Holocaust in Bohemia and Moravia
  5. ^ The Golem, Temple Emanu-El, San Jose
  6. ^ Prague, The Virtual Jewish History Tour

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Foreign relations of the Czech Republic — Czech Republic This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Czech Republic …   Wikipedia

  • Polish minority in the Czech Republic — Poles Gorol (lit. Highlander) men s choir from Jabłonków during the parade at the beginning of the Jubileuszowy Festiwal PZKO 2007 in Karwina. Total population 51,968 (2001 census)[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Demographics of the Czech Republic — This article is about the demographic features of the population of the Czech Republic, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population …   Wikipedia

  • Mongolians in the Czech Republic — Mongols in the Czech Republic Total population 7,515 (2007)[1] Regions with significant populations Prague,[2] Blansko,[3 …   Wikipedia

  • Chinese people in the Czech Republic — Total population 4,986 (2007)[1] Regions with significant populations Prague[2] Related ethnic groups Overseas Chines …   Wikipedia

  • Islam in the Czech Republic — HistoryFirst documented visit of a person with knowledge of Islam was made (964 965) by Íbrahím ibn Jaqúb, a Jewish merchant from then Muslim Spain. His memoirs were later published to became one of the first accounts about Central Europe in… …   Wikipedia

  • Czech Republic–Israel relations — Czech Republic – Israel relations Czech Republic …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Netherlands — This article is part of a series Early History …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Romani people — The Romani people, also referred to as the Roma or Gypsies, are an ethnic group who live primarily in Europe. They are believed to have originated in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. They began their migration to Europe and North… …   Wikipedia

  • Czech Republic — This article is about the country in Europe. For other uses, see Czech Republic (disambiguation). Czech Republic Česká republika …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”