Jewish Ghetto of Prague

On Sunday, March 30^th we got to take a tour through the Jewish ghetto in Prague. Hitler did not destroy the synagogues and Jewish buildings during World War II in Prague because he had sadistically hoped to preserve them in order to create a future museum to represent the “extinct race.” The conservation of these buildings has now given the people of Prague a way to make a memorial for Jewish Czechs that were murdered during the time of the Holocaust. The first building we went into was the Pinkas synagogue that was used to honor 80,000 Jewish Czech victims. Every single one of their names is painted on the wall along with their date of birth and their date of death (if known). I honestly don’t know a word I could use to describe what I was feeling while walking through this large building. The walls were completely covered in names of innocent men, women, and children that were brutally murdered for Hitler’s hope for a “pure” race. We couldn’t take any pictures in the synagogue, but I will attach some photos that I’ve found on the Internet. It was such a moving experience, and the entire time I felt like I had swallowed a gigantic rock.

Farther away look at the thousands of names written in memory of those murdered.
(Not my photographs)

We’ve all sat through Holocaust lectures and have maybe even seen some famous Holocaust movies such as “Schindler’s List” or “The Boy in Striped Pajamas,” but almost nothing can compare to actually being able to personally see the names of thousands of people who had ambitions, fears, friends, hobbies, crushes, memories, and hopes whose lives were cut short far too soon. I saw the names of a seven-year-old boy, an 80-year-old woman—all who didn’t deserve the horrifying death that they received. Some names that I saw that really stuck with me were those of people the same age as me. I feel like my life is just getting started, and I have so taken for granted the freedom that I have and the chances I’ve been given. It was so sad to think that those people missed out on the best time of their lives. The large walls were completely covered in the small print, and although this was a beautiful memorial, it still makes me sad to know that so many will go unremembered. After leaving the synagogue, I couldn’t recall a single name and it made me feel sick to my stomach. Those people deserve so much more.

The upper part of the synagogue also contained colorings and drawings of Jewish children that were living in the Terezin ghetto during the time of World War II. They were amazing to see—some were very dark and truly expressed what that child was feeling, while some were vibrant and colorful like a normal child’s would be. The colorful ones absolutely amazed me—the fact that these children could look past all of the suffering that they were experiencing and actually be able to attempt to function as a normal, happy child. There was actually a poem written by an 11-year-old Jewish boy named Frantisek Bass that had died in Auschwitz that really spoke to me. The last two lines of the poem were, “I shall always be oppressed // I shall always live again.” These two lines were incredible to me, and showed me the hope that these children possessed. It was truly remarkable and incredibly inspiring.

Outside of the synagogue, we walked through a large Jewish cemetery. This cemetery was completely overcrowded with hundreds of headstones that looked like they had just been thrown into the ground haphazardly. They were basically overlapping each other, and had no rhyme or reason to their placement. Tens of thousands of Jewish bodies were layered underneath those headstones—carelessly and without a proper ceremonial Jewish burial. It was an extremely overwhelming and heartbreaking experience.

Hundreds of Jewish headstones

After the Pinkas Synagogue, we went through another synagogue and some Jewish museums that had old religious artifacts. I learned a lot about the Jewish religion, and got to see some very old and beautiful architecture. This entire experience was just a small introduction to what I will experience when I go to the extermination camp, Auschwitz, in a few weeks. I know that it will be a life-changing experience, but to be honest I have very mixed feelings about it. I know that everyone should see Auschwitz in order to begin to understand what the Jews went through and to let the reality of the Holocaust settle in, but I’m very nervous. I think through our history books and lectures we’ve all known that the Holocaust was awful, but still have not been able to completely wrap our minds around how atrocious it really was. I look forward to going, but dread it at the same time. 

Coins, notes, and rocks left on the headstones to show respect

Another blog post will be coming very soon to talk more about our weekend in Prague and Dresden, Germany. Thanks for reading!