Jewish paths interdependent with Christian

The relationship between the Jewish and Christian faith in the past has gone through a complicated development. Christians consider themselves to be the continuation of the story of Israel – the New Testament being the fulfillment of the Old Testament. But Judaism looks at Christianity with the view of the teachings which are contrary to the teachings of the Torah (The Law – The Five Books of Moses). The relationship of the two religions was and is as interconnected as it is complicated in countries around the world, and therefore also in Bohemia and Moravia.

The beginning of the presence of Jews in our country is dated all the way back to the Roman era, when Jewish merchants were passing through with trading caravans. The first written mention of a Jewish settlement is, however, from the 10th century. Probably the most famous is a message of a Jewish-Arab merchant Abraham ben Jacob from 965. That’s the time when Jews began establishing settlements in Prague, and later in other cities. Settlements were to some extent autonomous, self administered, headed by experts of religious law.

The first pogroms against the Jews occurred between 1096 and 1097 in connection with the first Crusade. The Jewish situation became worse after the Lateran councils in the late 12th and 13th century. Segregation of Jews from the Christian population was ordered, their livelihoods have been limited to trade and finance and they were confined to ghettos. This inciting of religious hatred against Jews by Christians resulted in physical attacks on the Jewish population, and ultimately, the Pope Innocent IV. issued a papal bull prohibiting violence against the Jews. The Israelites, which had an experience with the Diaspora, felt that the papal bull would not provide security for them. Therefore, they sought protection of the monarch.

Wenceslas I was the first to hear their plea. Later it was Ottokar II of Bohemia who in 1254 issued the Statuta Judaeorum privileges. According to them, the Jews became the king’s property and any attack against the Jews or their property was an attack against the king. The privileges also protected the Jews from being forced into a baptism. Jews had to pay taxes and provide the King sovereign loans in exchange for this “privilege”. In the 13th century, Jews began to settle not only in Prague but also in Brno, Olomouc, Jihlava, Litoměřice or Příbram. They built closed colonies for religious and political reasons. They lived in a religious and cultural community; the monarch had an overview over his “property”. There were synagogues and schools being built in the Jewish settlements, and cemeteries mostly outside the city walls.

Jews were expelled from the Czech lands several times throughout the course of the centuries. They came back several times and repeatedly defended themselves against the pogroms. Most monarchs continued to take advantage of their - mainly financial - assistance.

Under the protection of Golem

A significant period for the Czech and Moravian Jews is the 16th century, which was marked by the prevailing tolerance. New Jewish synagogues are built, the centers (Prague, Mikulov) are strengthened and new ones are created. A significant thinker and educator, Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, known as Loew or Maharal of Prague, lived at this time. He is connected with the legend of the creature Golem, which was to protect the Jews from pogroms. The Jewish population had greater freedom during the time of the Enlightenment, and especially during the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II., who canceled the labeling of Jews and permitted them to receive university education. At the same time, however, he has restricted the powers of the Jewish autonomy and did not cancel the tolerance tax which was introduced by Maria Theresa as a payment for the opportunity to live in the Czech lands. Joseph II’s plan was to incorporate Jews into a service for the State. All these changes encouraged assimilation in the Jewish population. But Jews were not united regarding this issue. Two schools of thought were formed in the 19th century. The vast majority of Jews favored the assimilation and becoming closer with the Czech or German culture. They became Czechs or Germans with the Jewish faith. There were many famous architects, scientists and writers between them (including. Max Brod and Franz Kafka). Zionists, on the other hand, insisted on national and cultural identity of the Jews. Both movements have created congregations and strived for further liberalization of their rights. The Jews received the freedom of movement, marriage, and stopped paying the tolerance tax in the revolutionary year of 1848. Complete equality was granted to them by the December Constitution of 1867.

New synagogues were created in the course of the 19th century up to the year 1939. These synagogues were bulit in the then popular styles – Romanticism, Gothic Revival architecture, neo-Renaissance and Functionalism. Jewish architects and builders excelled on our territory (Ernst Wiesner, Bedřich Feuerstein, Otto Eisler, František Zelenka). Some managed to escape from the Nazis, for example - to the United States and spread the fame of Czech architecture there.

Since the early 1970’s, many pogroms took place in Odessa, Ukraine, and also in many other cities, which escalated into the 20th century. This anti-Semitism has led some Jews to the idea of restoring the Jewish State, where it would be possible to live in peace and tranquility. Anti-Semitism was the strongest during World War II. More than 80 000 Czech, Moravian and Silesian Jews did not survive the Holocaust (HaShoah in Hebrew). The survivors were then oppressed by the Communist regime. Several Jewish communities renewed their activities in Czechoslovakia after 1989. They can once again freely engage in their religious and cultural activities. There are 10 Jewish congregations currently in the Czech Republic. They are grouped in the Federation of Jewish Communities. About 4000 people consider themselves of the Jewish faith.