The Jewish Experience in Prague

This course gives students a historical and cultural overview of Prague's long-standing Jewish population. At the same time, the course time provides an introduction to the diversity of Jewish history, religion, culture, languages and thought. Time periods and events examined in this course include: the settling of Jews in medieval Prague, impact of conflicts on Bohemian Jews, and the "golden age" of Prague's Jewish community. This course will also analyze antisemitism and the mass deportations during the World War II in the Holocaust period, as well as the Communist persecution and reconstruction of the Jewish life after the Velvet Revolution. The course includes several field studies to unique historical areas and meetings with representatives of the contemporary Jewish community.