One Week in Prague

Image via Wikipedia
By Mimi Rippy


I would describe Prague's character as enchanting, historical, and somewhat (ironically, with regard to the aforementioned metaphor) unfriendly. The Czech people seem to lack the smile gene, or perhaps they just don't like tourists. If you ask for directions, beware of being intentionally misled.
The unwelcoming aura emanating from the people of Prague is eclipsed by the enchanting beauty of the city itself. The Vyehrad Castle epitomizes the beauty of Prague. Sitting high upon a hilltop, it casts an enchanting glow over the city. It dates back to the 9th century and was once occupied by the Kings of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperors.
Because I had an entire week in Prague, I was able to devote one whole (somber) day to exploring Josefov, the former Jewish ghetto. While walking from synagogue to synagogue and through the crowded cemetery, which is the oldest existing Jewish cemetery in Europe, I tried to imagine what it was like to be a Jew living in Prague during the Second World War. It was an eerie but educational experience.

Venice, Italy - Ghetto

Image via Wikipedia

By Harry Preston

The Jewish Ghetto, famed as the setting for Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, dates from 1516 when the Council of Ten was pursuing its policy of zoning Venice. Murano was given over to glass production, Arsenale to ship building and the northerly island where there once stood a foundry (geto) became the home of Venice's Jewish population who had arrived as refugees from the mainland. Venice was a tolerant host and Jews were allowed to trade in medicine, money-lending and textiles. The Ghetto (which was to give its name to all other ghettos in Europe) was cordoned off by canals and entered by two water gates manned by Christian guards.
Although Napoleon removed the gates when he attacked Venice, the Austrians reinstalled them when they took over the city after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Venice's Jewish population was not fully emancipated until 1866 when the city became part of the new kingdom of Italy. By that time. two satellite ghettos, Ghetto Vecchio and Ghetto Novissimo, strained to accommodate a population that had swelled to 5,000.
Because of overcrowding, houses in the Ghetto were built as high as possible, but these Venetian skyscrapers were forbidden to be more than one-third taller than any other Venetian building. As a result, as many storeys as possible were crammed in, resulting in ceilings that are lower than anywhere else in Venice. Nowadays, the Ghetto is inhabited by only five Jewish families, but it still maintains its kosher food shops, a Jewish bakery and two synagogues. The Museo Ebraico here shows visitors many 17th- and 19th-century Ghetto artefacts followed by guided tours of the area's German, Spanish and Levantine synagogues.
For more information about Venice, Italy visit GuidedTourVenice.com.
For more information about Cuba visit GuidedTourCuba.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harry_Preston


http://EzineArticles.com/?Venice,-Italy---Ghetto&id=5367797



Search Amazon.com for vino con vista

Related articles

• Venice, Italy - Gesuiti (vino-con-vista.blogspot.com)
• Rome Romance (vino-con-vista.blogspot.com)