The Klausen Synagogue (, ) is a former

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

located in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. The congregation was established in the 1570s, and the synagogue was completed in 1884, after an earlier synagogue, built in the early Baroque style in the Jewish ghetto, was destroyed. In 1984 the former synagogue was permanently repurposed as a

Jewish museum A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area. Notable Jewish museums include: Albania * Solomon Museum, Berat Australia * Jewish Museum of Australia, Melbourn ...

and is administered by the

Jewish Museum in Prague The Jewish Museum in Prague () is a museum of Jewish heritage in the Czech Republic and one of the most visited museums in Prague. Its collection of Judaica is one of the largest in the world, about 40,000 objects, 100,000 books, and a copious a ...

History

16th and 17th century synagogues

In 1570s a renowned businessman and benefactor of the ghetto,

Mordechai Maisel Mordecai Marcus Meisel (; 1528, Prague – 13 March 1601, Prague) was a philanthropist and communal leader in Prague. Biography Born to the Meisel family. In 1542 and 1561 his family, with the other Jewish inhabitants, was forced to leave the c ...

, decided to build in the area of the present Klausen Synagogue a

kloyz A kloyz ( kloyzn; ) or a hesger ( hesgerim) was an Ashkenazi, Ottoman, or Italian Jewish house of study and worship popular during the 16th to 19th centuries. It is closely related to a beth midrash, though the two are different in the fact tha ...

, or complex of buildings, probably including

s and a private

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

ic school. The famous Prague

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

and

scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...

Maharal Judah Loew ben Bezalel (; 1512 – 17 September 1609), also known as Rabbi Loew ( Löw, Loewe, Löwe or Levai), the Maharal of Prague (), or simply the Maharal (the Hebrew acronym of "''Moreinu ha-Rav Loew''", 'Our Teacher, Rabbi Loew'), was an i ...

taught at this school. In 1689, the great fire of the ghetto burned down all the kloyzn and the synagogue is named after them. Rabbi Shelomo Khalish Cohen, of the burned down synagogue, which had been part of the complex, then initiated construction of a new synagogue in early Baroque style at the site. In 1694, the building was finished and two years later monumental three-tiered

aron ha-kodesh A Torah ark (also known as the ''hekhal'', , or ''aron qodesh'', ) is an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark is also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' () or ''aron ha-Kod ...

, the Torah Ark, was added, thanks to the endowment of

Samuel Oppenheimer Samuel Oppenheimer (21 June 1630 – 3 May 1703) was an Ashkenazi Jewish banker, imperial court diplomat, factor, and military supplier for the Holy Roman Emperor. He enjoyed the special favor of Emperor Leopold I, to whom he advanced consider ...

, an affluent and influential personality of the

Austrian monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ( composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it ...

, part of which Prague was at the time. Many important rabbis, for example

Elazar Fleckeles Elazar Fleckeles (August 26, 1754 in Prague – April 27, 1826) was a Bohemian rabbi and author. Biography Fleckeles was a pupil of and Yechezkel Landau. At the age of twenty-four he became rabbi of Kojetein, a small town in Moravia. In 1780 h ...

, are also connected with the synagogue.

Modern times

In 1883–84, the synagogue was reconstructed by an architect Bedřich Münzberger, who also partook in decorating the Spanish Synagogue. Massive urban renewal of the ghetto at the turn of the 20th century left the Klausen Synagogue intact, while other baroque synagogues such as the Zigeuner, Great Court and New Synagogue were demolished. Nowadays, the Klausen Synagogue is thus the only example of a baroque synagogue in the former ghetto. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

a depository as well as an exposition was located in the synagogue. As soon as one year after the war, an exposition about

Jewish festivals Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' (, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed by Jews throughout the Hebrew calendar.This article focuses on practices of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. ...

and Minhag, customs was opened there. The synagogue was reconstructed in years 1960, 1979–81 and 1983 (

only). In 1984, a new permanent exhibition of Hebrew manuscripts and early prints was opened. On 11 October, 2024, the synagogue held a

Kol Nidre Kol Nidre (also known as Kol Nidrei or Kol Nidrey; Aramaic: ''kāl niḏrē'') is an Aramaic declaration which begins Yom Kippur services in the synagogue. Strictly speaking, it is not a prayer, even though it is commonly spoken of as if it we ...

service, led by Rabbi David Maxa of the Czech community of Progressive Jews, for the first time since World War II.

Recent history and exposition

About a decade later, during years 1995–96, the synagogue was restored again and the topic of Jewish festivals and customs returned to the exposition. Visitors are invited to get acquainted with the foundational texts of Judaism (

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

and

), sacral space of Judaism (traditional components of the synagogue interior, order of synagogue prayer service and texts and objects used during it, etc.). Introduction of

Jewish Festivals Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' (, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed by Jews throughout the Hebrew calendar.This article focuses on practices of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. ...

and Jewish family life in its dailiness as well as in its important milestones, for instance birth,

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

, etc. follows. The

exposition Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair *Expository writing *Exposition (narrative), background information in a story * Exposition (music) *Trade fair * ''Exposition'' (album), the debut alb ...

continues in the Ceremonial Hall with the topic of the end of life.

Gallery

Prag Klausen Synagoge innen 1.jpg, The interior today Klaussynag.Prag19.Jh.jpg, The interior of the synagogue in the 19th century

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Klausen Synagogue 1570s establishments in the Habsburg monarchy 19th-century religious buildings and structures in the Czech Republic 19th-century synagogues in Europe Baroque architecture in the Czech Republic Baroque synagogues in the Czech Republic Former synagogues in the Czech Republic Josefov (Prague) Museums in Prague Synagogues completed in 1884 Synagogues in Prague Synagogues preserved as museums