The Golden Era of Prague's Jewish Ghetto: A Community Flourishes

The Prague ghetto was enclosed by walls to separate Jews from Christians. Guards were stationed at the ghetto gates, and city leaders would lock the Jews inside whenever they wanted to restrict them. Yet, the Jewish song resonated beyond the walls, a melody still heard today. Yeshivas sprouted in the ghetto like mushrooms after the rain. Among them was the famous yeshiva of the Maharal of Prague, where students learned through his unique approach. The Maharal rejected the prevalent method of intricate argumentation that dominated European yeshivas. He believed in focusing on comprehensive study over excessive debate.

The Maharal's era marked the golden age of the ghetto, with the Jewish community thriving. Printing presses in the ghetto produced early Jewish commentaries. During this time, the influential philanthropist Mordechai Meisel, one of the wealthiest men of his time and the financier for King Rudolf II, was active in the ghetto. His closeness to the king allowed him to help the Jewish community. He established a magnificent synagogue and built a Jewish hospital in the ghetto. He constructed baths and mikvahs, paved the ghetto streets, and supported Torah scholars. The Jewish historian David Gans noted that Meisel gave 50,000 thalers to charity over two years, an incredible sum for that era. Above all stood the figure of the Maharal. Though he arrived in Prague in 1573, he was not initially appointed as a rabbi. The Maharal would admonish the wealthy during his sermons for not sufficiently supporting the poor and Torah scholars, a stance that kept him from being appointed. Despite this, he founded a chevra kadisha in the ghetto, whose regulations were adopted across Europe. The Maharal left Prague to serve as a rabbi in Poznan for five years before returning to lead the community. Among his students were Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman Heller, author of the "Tosafot Yom Tov," the Maharsha (Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Edels), and Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz, author of Keli Yakar. The Maharal passed away in 1609 at the age of 97 and was buried in Prague's Jewish cemetery, one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe, thought to hold one hundred thousand graves in layers.

Shortly after the Maharal, Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz, "the Shelah" (Shelah HaKadosh), served as the city's rabbi until 1620, when his wife passed away and he decided to move to the Land of Israel.

The golden age of the ghetto ended at the beginning of the Thirty Years' War. During the Maharal's time, King Rudolf II ruled Prague. He cared little for governance, with science capturing his interest instead. He supported famous scientists like Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe and even sought a private meeting with the Maharal. The nature of their meeting remains unknown, but it sparks much speculation and storytelling. Perhaps Rudolf was curious about Judaism or the philosophical wisdom of the Maharal.

Under Rudolf II, Jews enjoyed relative rights and protection from the king, followed by his successor Mathias, who was also favorable to the Jews. Lacking children, Mathias designated his cousin Ferdinand II as heir. A devout Catholic, Ferdinand II fiercely opposed Protestants. In 1618, the Thirty Years' War erupted between Catholic and Protestant Christians, heightening religious fervor. Protestant nobles seized Prague, but in 1620, the Battle of White Mountain saw Ferdinand II defeat the nobles and take Prague, instituting strict Catholic reforms. He increased taxes on Jews, introducing severe Catholic antisemitism. As the war progressed, the Swedish army invaded, looting the city, leaving the Jewish community impoverished. Additionally, Ferdinand II imposed occupational restrictions on Jews, marking the end of the golden age and ushering the ghetto into a new era.