Shabbat Praha

On Shabbas I checked out the Jewish community. At around 3 on Sayurday I headed over to the Jewish quarter and just wandered around, looking at all the beautiful synagogues. It’s crazy to think that the only reason these synagogues are so well preserved is because Hitler was saving them for his Jewish museum after he finished the job. I found the famous one with the golem in it and figured there would probably be mincha so I talked to the guard at the entrance. He was very unfriendly and spoke no English but it seemed apparent that his job was to keep tourists out on Shabbat. So I had a little argument with him, trying to prove to him that I just wanted to go pray, and this British guy told me that he wasn’t going to let people in for a couple minutes. So he showed me around the Jewish quarter, he showed me where the Chabad is and where the kosher restaurant is. He’s one of those Aish miracles who goes to Israel for a week, flips out, and stays in yeshiva for 2 years. He works at the British version of the Discovery channel and he’s in Prague filming for a little while. After services we went to the Jewish community center for Seudah Shlishit which was around the corner and I had a really nice time. There were a bunch of Israelis and Americans, the rabbi was cool and lives on my street, and the Czech ladies were hot.

I’m pumped to spend more time with this community. Shabbas morning services are at the Jerusalem synagogue, the most beautiful synagogue I’ve ever seen and it’s a block from my house. I also hope that I get a volunteer placement working in the Jewish community. There’s a Jewish school that I would love to work at. I added it in on my volunteering application and Jana, the lady in charge of that, told me they were going to work on it. One of the main reasons I’m here in Prague is to get to know what modern European Judaism is like. Is it growing or dying? How much of the Jewish culture is based in thousands of years of history and how much of it is just imported from America or Israel? I wanna set up a Shabbas meal for Mich and Leili and me with the rabbi. He lives like two doors down. Maybe I’ll wait until a know a little more Czech though. Tomorrow I finally start my intensive Czech classes which go on for two weeks before we start real classes. I’ll finally be able to say more than thank you, hello, and two beers please.