A JEWISH ODE TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Variously known as the “ city of a hundred spires ” and “ Golden Prague ,” the Czech capital , as I discovered yet again during a recent visit , just keeps getting more spectacular , ever since the end of Communism in 1989 and a growing prosperity that has permitted , among other things , the restoration of many Baroque and Art Nouveau buildings in the central district .
Emblematic of the city ’ s special qualities are two striking features .
First , the single most visited site is the Jewish Museum , which , in fact , is a series of four remarkable synagogues ( Maisel , Spanish , Pinkas , and Klausen ), the legendary Old Jewish cemetery , the ceremonial hall , and an educational and cultural center , all within a few blocks of each other . For many visitors , this is their first , and perhaps only , encounter with Jewish religion , history , culture , and , not least , the story of the Golem , which , after all , originated in Prague . ( The Old-New Synagogue , built in the thirteenth century and the oldest functioning synagogue in Europe , is in the same district but is not operated by the Jewish Museum .)
Second , Prague is a mecca for classical music . There are concerts galore . I don ’ t know of another city where people hand out flyers
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