FALL SEMESTER | 5 DAYS
Czech Republic
One of the oldest Jewish communities in the world
What: Explore the beautiful European gem – Prague – rich with its long Jewish legacy. Trace the rise and fall of the local Jewish community in Old Town’s many preserved synagogues and visit the Theresienstadt camp. As you wander over the Charles Bridge, tour Prague Castle, and venture out of the city to Kutná Hora, with its famous bone church, you’ll marvel as history comes alive before your eyes. Cap off your trip by joining together with the local Prague community to celebrate Shabbat.
Why: Jews have lived in Prague since 970 C.E. and it is thus one of the oldest Jewish communities in Europe. Although Jews had been heavily persecuted, fortunes improved dramatically in the 16th Century, allowing for a blossoming of Jewish culture and a transformation of the community. At the beginning of the 18th Century, there were more Jews in Prague than anywhere else in the world and they accounted for 25% of the city’s population. The majority of the Jews of Prague were murdered in the Holocaust and it wasn’t until after the fall of communism that Jews in Prague slowly identified themselves again with their religion and today the community is starting to rejuvenate itself. There are 3,000 members of the community. Czechoslovakia was one of the first countries to recognize Israel in 1948 and one of the few countries to send armaments to the newly established state. This relationship has been renewed since the Velvet Revolution and we will spend some time learning about the relationship between Israel and one of its staunchest allies in Europe, the Czech Republic.
More International Trips Available
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(Relevant for 2023-2024 only)
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