On of the most unusual sites we visited in Prague was an old Jewish Cemetery in the Jewish Quarter in Old Town.
The land is only the size of one or two large city blocks, concealed behind a wall, but there are 12,000 tombstones crammed into this cemetery.
The oldest gravestone recorded dates from 1439 and the final gravestone is dated 1787, with many dates unknown. The inscriptions are mostly eroded and written in Hebrew. During this time the cemetery was the only place where the Jewish people of Prague were allowed to be buried. Because of this, it struggled with lack of space so they would add another layer of soil to add another burial…it is said there are as many as twelve layers in some areas and 85,000 people are buried in this small radius. The land inside actually became higher than the land outside of the enclosed cemetery because of adding layers of dirt. (Graves were never relocated because of Jewish belief that once buried a body should not be moved.)
The tombstones are described as a “dense forest” of stones. They are crooked, leaning this way and that, and are piled right next to each other designating several people buried in several layers below.
It’s hard to describe the feeling as we walked through the Old Jewish Cemetery. It was an impressive sight, yet melancholic as we reflected on the people buried in this cemetery, and those burying loved ones, layering one on top of one another.
Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.”
It’s common to see stacked commemorative stones on Jewish graves… interesting that these don’t seem to appear in this graveyard? Wondering if Jews still live in Prague?
Good question. Here’s what I found: the current Jewish population is only a fraction of the pre-Holocaust Jewish population. As of 2005, there were approximately 4,000 Jews living in the Czech Republic.
This is, by far, the oddest cemetery I’ve “seen.” Like you, this makes me sad to see loved ones crammed into a small space.
It was an interesting sight to see. There was not much space for this cemetery.
I am sure enjoying traveling with you. Your photos and dialogue are wonderful. Prague looks like an amazing place to visit. Thank you Valerie for sharing.
Thank you Lori. I’m glad you enjoy the posts.
Cemeteries have always meant a great deal to me. It began when I was very young. My father owned a monument company in Fergus Falls, so there were many times I accompanied him to ” Take a Rubbing. ” It was a copy of a special design that someone wanted on their own
monument.. Now I have accompanied my husband as he and
his sister searched for very old monuments of favorite
family members.
That’s a fun fact to know about your father – I never knew that.
Gary has done his own share of rubbings at his childhood church cemetery in PA.
There are seven generations of his family buried there.
Valerie, that cemetery is so sad, yet a tribute to the Jewish community. They continued to find a way to bury their dead, though they were confined by space and the racism of the time.
Thank you for sharing this type of story about your travels. This is deeply moving.
Thanks, I’m glad it touched you Sheri.