Its history can be traced from the early Middle Ages till the present day. Learn about Rabbi Loewe & Golem, M. Maisel & his wealth, the synagogues, the changing status of Prague's Jewish community over centuries, the ghetto abolishment and the reasons for the clearance and the redevelopment of the area.
History of the Jewish Quarter is full of captivating, mostly sad, but also sometimes humorous stories of its inhabitants. Your guide has got a collection of archive photographs for you to compare past and present of this place!

Avoid this quarter on Saturdays because of the Sabbath on this day. There has been a Jewish community in Prague since the 10^th century. From the 13^th to the 16^th century the community developed under better organization. From the 1540's many restrictions were laid upon the Jews and in 1744 the Jews were displaced by the Bohemian queen Marie Theresa. The ghetto itself was destroyed by fires twice, gone from a rich neighborhood to a poor one.
The area faced especially hard times at the turn of the century, where after the revolution the ghetto turned into a very poor area. In the last century the ghetto was destroyed and Art Nouveau buildings were built. Only 10 % of the Bohemian Jews survived the second World War (about 10.000 people).

Federation of Jewish Communities
The Federation of Jewish Communities serves as an umbrella organization for Jewish Communities and other Jewish institutions in the Czech Republic. Currently there are ten official Jewish Communities in the country with approximately 3000 registered members, of which 1400 reside in Prague. It is estimated that there are an additional 10-15,000 unregistered Jews.
A number of Jewish organizations are under the auspices of the Federation: Bejt Praha, the open Jewish congregation of foreigners residing in Prague; the Union of Jewish Youth; Maccabi and Hakoach, the sports clubs; WIZO, the Women's Zionist Organisation and Terezin Initiative, a gathering of Czech Holocaust survivors.
All together these institutions include approximately 2000 people. The chief rabbi of Prague and the Czech Republic is Ephraim Karol Sidon.