Jewish Ceremonial Hall - Prague, Czech Republic
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ToRo61
N 50° 05.401 E 014° 25.039
33U E 458319 N 5548802
Jewish Ceremonial Hall
Waymark Code: WMV2G8
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 02/12/2017
Views: 34
Located next to the Old Jewish Cemetery on the site of an old mortuary used by the Prague Burial Society (Hevrah Kaddisha), the Ceremonial Hall was built in the Neo-Romanesque style in 1906–08. The first floor once housed a room for the ritual washing of the dead; on the second floor was the burial society's club room.
The building was used for its original purpose until the end of the First World War. It became part of the Jewish Museum in 1926.
This exhibition deals with the history of the Prague Burial Society, an important religious and social institution of the ghetto that was founded by Rabbi Eliezer Ashkenazi in 1564. On display is the unique 15-part series of paintings from the 1770s that details the customs and ceremonies associated with death and burial. It also shows the silver ritual objects that were used in connection with this.
Among the unique relics on view are fragments of Prague's oldest tombstones, dating from the 14th century. Also exhibited are memorial prayers for the dead and a map of preserved Jewish cemeteries in the Bohemian lands.
The second floor of the exhibition focuses on the actual organization, life and external representation of the Prague Burial Society.
Visit Instructions:
Please provide another photo of the location. You don't have to be in there shot, but you can. The photo requirement is to discourage any armchair visiting.