Jewish Quarter

Being Jewish is being part of a very large highly dysfunctional family.

As Michaela lead us through the Jewish Quarter, I was amazed at how much Jewish history there is in the Czech Republic. As an American Jew, I feel removed from many hardships Jews have faced throughout history. I have spoken to many Holocaust survivors and visited many Jewish museums and even attended a Jewish day school, but it is a completely different experience to be in the synagogues that have withstood the atrocities and segregation inflicted on the Jewish people. While these synagogues are before Ashkenazi or Sephardic Jews and before the use of the curtain separating the men and women in the Orthodox services, it is still in use today. I asked our guide if the Jewish community was active here and she replied that there are a Jewish school and Jewish summer camps, but she sticks to Chabad. The people are friendlier, and the food is good.

While in school, the Holocaust is taught, for many (my high school included) the information is minimal. People know little about the events leading up to the Holocaust and little about the events following the end of the war. Themes from this time period repeat themselves throughout history. For example, before the Holocaust Jews would spend large amounts of money on boat tickets to go to other countries outside of Europe but after surviving the long journey, they would be turned away. We see this happening during the refugee crisis now. An education on the Holocaust as well as other genocides of this nature are essential in the prevention of other atrocities. Although the majority of people are not extremists who would harm others, they are the silent majority. The more the silent majority is educated, the more they will stand up for those who are oppressed.

*Chabad is a sect of Judaism, it is part of the Orthodox movement