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Czech Republic Journal
(Lea) Of
all the places we toured and visited in Prague, I will most remember the Jewish
Museum, in particular the Pinkas Synagogue.
The Jewish Museum is not one building, but made up of 4 synagogues, 1 ceremonial hall and 1 cemetery; these were all part of Prague's Jewish community up until WWII. Today these buildings house Jewish exhibits and books from dating back centuries. Touring these I learned much more about the Jewish religion and the history of Jews in Bohemia.
The Pinkas synagogue affected me the most as this synagogue is a memorial to the Bohemian Jews murdered by the Nazis. On the first floor the names of all those murdered are listed on its walls. What is startling is that there is no free space on the walls - they are completely filled with names. The upstairs of the synagogue is even more poignant. Here are a permanent exhibition of children's drawings; the children who drew these were Jewish children who were prisoners along with their families in the Terezin ghetto. The adults in Terezin tried to maintain as much normalcy in their children's lives as possible - they secretly held school for the children. School included classes such as drawing. These drawings include pictures of the children's dreams (rainbows, being outside, going to the promised land of Israel), their everyday life (living in the dorms, gates keeping them from leaving the Jewish only zone, Nazi guards with guns), their fears (darkness, shootings) and more. The drawings were discovered in the suitcases left after all inhabitants of Terezin were deported. Of the 8000 deported, only 242 survived. Almost no children survived.
It was hard to visit this memorial, but I think it is good to do so. It reminds its visitors of what can happen when an evil person such as Hitler comes into power. It reminds people of why it is imperative so stop such an evil person.
(Keith)
This is the second time I've visited Prague; the first was about 8 years
ago. I enjoyed both trips immensely and would recommend this city to
anyone interested in friendly people, architecture, and an air of
sophistication. After traveling through several other former Soviet block
cities (Berlin, Sofia, and Bucharest), one quickly starts to expect a bit
of "blandness" to these former Soviet block cities. Much of the beauty has been destroyed
by either war or Soviet rule.
Prague (and Budapest) has been able to maintain its charm while under the Soviet thumb. The Prague castle majestically overlooks the city, and the streets are lined with cafes and shops. The city center is a great spot to have a cup of coffee and watch people stroll; it has a beautiful clock tower, musicians, and a towering church.
Check out our Czech Republic Photos.