Visiting Prague

Maharal of Prague

Statue of Maharal was erected by Prague municipal authorities in 1917 in front of Prague’s city hall and stays there until today, and his ornate grave is in the Old Jewish Cemetery where people come to lay coins. The Maharal, Rabbi Yehuda Loew ben Bezalel lived in 16-17 century and was a staunch leader of his Jewish community, he became the hero of many legends in which he appears as the defender of Prague Jewry against all its numerous enemies. He was a remarkable man who was a scholar in Jewish law, philosophy, and mathematics, but it seems he is most remembered for his mysticism and particularly known for the story about the golem. According to legend, he created a GOLEM, a robot made of clay from the banks of the Vltava River at the Altneuschul Synagogue in Prague and gave life to by placing sacred writings in his mouth to serve the Jewish community. But as Golem grew bigger he became more violent and Rabbi Loew was promised that the violence against the Jews would stop if the Golem was destroyed and he had to agree and destroy Golem. Maharal lives on in his writings in the Torah world that is an enduring source of wisdom and inspiration.

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