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Writer's pictureThe Codex Cultus Concept

Prague's Old Jewish cemetery and the myths surrounding it.



The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague (Czech: Starý židovský hřbitov, is located at Josefov, the Jewish quarter of Prague in the Czech Republic was possible operation from the early 15th century (To oldest preserved tomb is Avigdor Kara, dates. 1439) until 1787.

The numbers of funerary columns and the number of people who are buried here is uncertain, because the graves are per layers. Prague Jews were not allowed to be buried outside the ghetto, and the Jewish faith does not permit moving the dead, so the deceased were buried in as many as 12 layers.

However, it has been estimated that there are approximately 12,000 tombstones visible today, and there may be as many as 100,000 burials in all. The most notable personalities buried in the Old Jewish Cemetery are Yehuda Ben Bezalel (1609 d.), Known as the Maharal Rabbi low, kli Yakar Shlomo Ephraim Luntchitz (d. 1609), Mordechai Maisel (d. 1601), the David Gans (d . 1613) and David Oppenheim (d. 1736).

This cemetery is allegedly to be the secret venue of conspiracy meetings of the Elders of Zion and the place where The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (the supposed Zionistic plan to rule the world or New World Order) was created. This was first suggested fictionally in Hermann Goedsche's 1868 novel, Biarritz (in English as To Sedan) which probably inspired the Russian secret police to create The Protocols of the Elders of Zion to spread antisemitism in Russia. The Protocols then took on a life of their own and were considered to be true by the likes of Hitler and many enemies of Jews. Umberto Eco's 2010 novel The Prague Cemetery refers to this topic.




One of the most famous legend of Prague is the Golem. During the reign of Rudolf II, Golem was created by Rabbi Juda Loew to protect the Jewish quarter of Prague and its inhabitants. At that time, most Jewish residents lived in fear of the constant threat of an attack, after all that time mainotane and the last act of the Thirty Years War in the city of Prague. (1618-1648). Fear of attack was up where he appeared in Golemi, which was meant to prevent the troops of Christians to move against the Jews.


Rabbi Loew Juda created the Golem by using a ritual of Kabbalah, which said that should shape the Golem, with clay from the banks of the Vltava River. The giant Golem was created during a religious ritual and woke up with a special incantation uttered in Hebrew its creator. After hearing of the spell, the beast awoke and realized the commands of its creator, which concerned the protection of the Jews in the ghetto of Prague. Rabbi Loew mapped out on Golem's forehead the Hebrew word «Emet» (Truth).



With each spell the Golem became stronger and more aggressive. One day the rabbi left for a religious obligation and forgot to give the spell to command the beast, thus, it started to kill all the people in its path unchecked. Other rumors claims that the beast deliberately did it to break the heart of its creator, but nobody really knows.

Rabbi Loew given the promise that violence against the Jewish population will be over, so the rabbi destroyed the Golem that inspired terror. Rabbi Loew Golemuv when he finished Golem's life, withdrew the letter "e" from the word "Emet" and changed the word truth with the word ''Met'' death.

They say, however, that the son of Rabbi brought back to life the Golem.

Each tombstone has a story to tell.

Crying out its own eerie song. The cemetery has enlisted paranormal activity investigators to investigate apparitions that have been seen moving around the tombs. The Codex Cultus Concept was there and photo shoot for you the history, myth and legend of the medieval Prague.

Fact or folk myth? It depends on you. Take a walk in the evening through the Jewish quarter and perhaps you will be surprised if by chance you come across the infamous Golem!

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