The Old New Synagogue stands in Josefov, the former Jewish Town in the centre of Prague. According to the Jewish Museum in Prague, the building was created in the last third of the 13th century and still serves as a place of prayer.
History
According to the Jewish Museum in Prague, the synagogue witnessed the turbulent history of the Jewish Town, both joyful celebrations of festivals and the pogroms that struck the local community.[1] Over the centuries the building, according to the same source, went through many changes, yet according to the museum it has preserved its original character.[1]
Architecture and significance
The building is an example of Gothic architecture. According to the Jewish Museum in Prague, it is among the oldest surviving synagogues in Europe.[1]
Religious life
Since the 13th century the synagogue has served as a place of prayer, also in periods when the Prague Jewish community faced persecution.[1] According to the Jewish Museum in Prague, the synagogue is today also a centre of living religious life, and services that continue a centuries-old tradition are held there.[1] According to the museum, visitors can take part in the spiritual atmosphere that persists in the premises of the synagogue.[1]
Rabbi Judah Loew and the legend of the Golem
The Old New Synagogue is associated with the Prague rabbi Judah Loew, known as the Maharal, whose teaching, according to the Jewish Museum in Prague, attracted the Jewish community in Prague and in other parts of Europe.[1] According to a legend that the museum presents on its website, Rabbi Loew created the Golem, a being made of clay that was meant to protect the Jewish community from danger.[1] According to the same legend, the Golem is still said to rest in the attic of the synagogue.[1]
Place within the Jewish Town
The Old New Synagogue is part of the visitor circuit of the Jewish Town in Prague, which further includes the Maisel Synagogue, the Pinkas Synagogue, the Spanish Synagogue and the Old Jewish Cemetery.[1] These monuments are managed and presented by the Jewish Museum in Prague, on whose website the Old New Synagogue is listed among the museum's monuments and exhibitions.[1]