welcome to the Jewish Community in
Prague. We will be happy to help you in any questions you have, but since we
have left Prague, and we are back in Israel, we are not sure the information is
updated. Please check the information in one of the links from our site. We
recommend to contact Rabbi Menachem Kalchheim, which is the assistant chief
Rabbi of the Czech Republic. Rabbi Kalchheim is a Shaliach from Israel, who is
appointed as a Rabbi by the chief Rabbinate of Israel, and participated a
program of the Rothchild foundation, as preperation for his work in Prague.
His phone number in his office is:
+420-224800832
If you want to contact us anyhow,
you are free to do so. contact us at this address.
To view this site in Hebrew, click here
please note: There
is no Eruv in Prague!
accommodation in Prague
The Hotels in the center
of Prague are quite expensive. But sometimes you can get a good bargain through
a travel agent (especially in the winter). You can try this site or this site or this site or this site or this site too. some close hotels are:
InterContinental *****
(has magnetic cards for the doors instead of keys, and an electronic door at
the main entrance that opens when you come near it, which is a Problem for Shabbat,
but they are aware about that problem, and someone is standing next to the door
during Shabbat and accompanies Jewish people to their room)
Bellagio – **** It is a nice hotel, very
close to the Jewish quarter, which can supply Kosher breakfast and fair prices
if you contact the Kosher Prague
travel agency.
Salvator ***
except hotels, it is
very recommended to rent an apartment in the Jewish quarter. It is much
cheaper, and very convenient.
Here are some people
that rent apartments. Make sure the apartment is in the Jewish quarter!
·
Kosher Prague – see the travel agencies
listed below
·
Mr.
Pavel Erdos - a member of the Community that has many apartments:
Tel: +420-26974893. Fax:
+420-26971049. Mobile: +420-602-330435
·
Mrs.
Zelena Tel/fax: +420-28501107. Mobile: +420-602-320405
Another agency that has
apartments in the center of Prague: Jan Svatek,
Tel: +420-222310202. Fax +420-222316640
Mary's accommodation. Tel/Fax: +420-222252215
for more apartments, try
the agencies listed below or this site or this site or this site or this site or this site or this site or this site or this site.
Kosher restaurants in Prague
CAREFULL!!!
There is a casino and hotel in Prague, in the name Casino Royal, that
advertises themselves as Kosher, and even import some meat from Israel. This is
not a Kosher restaurant, and all the products in the restaurant are completely
non-Kosher!
The Kashrut topic in
Prague (like in any other place) is a delicate topic. There is only one Rabbi
in Prague who is authorized to give Kashrut certificate, and that is the chief
Rabbi of Prague, Rabbi Efraim Sidon, who is working with the ECK (Europian
Central Kashrut), which is, according to what I believe, similar to
regular Rabbinate Kashrut in Israel (not mehadrin).
·
Shalom
restaurant - in the Community building - on Maiselova St. 18. This is mainly a
dining room for members of the Community, that get subsidized lunch, and
therefore the food is not high class. In the past, tourists could have ordered
lunch in this restaurant, but lately it is not done privately. However it is
possible to organize a group to eat there lunch or supper. For details, contact
Ariel, which is listed below, among other
tourist guides. The menu in Shalom restaurant is a fixed menu, which sometimes
is good, and sometimes not so much... However, on Shabbat, it is possible to
order meals in advance, and the food is OK . Tickets to eat in this restaurant
can be purchased in the community, or by telephone: +420-224810929.
·
King Solomon restaurant - an exclusive
restaurant very close to the community. This is a higher-class restaurant, and
so are the prices. This restaurant does not have an Hechsher from Rabbi Sidon,
or from any other Rabbi, but there is a Mashgiach who works in this restaurant,
and gived a ‘Teudat Hashgacha’.
Address:
Siroka 8. Tel/Fax: +420-27864664. Mobile: +420-603-540540.
we strongly recommend you to
contact Rabbi Menachem Kalcheim prior to your visit, since he is the expert in
the Czech republic in this topic.
Kosher products
Regular bread or rolls
in the stores are not considered Kosher, but there is one bakery close to the
community (On Siroka st.), which has some kosher kinds of bread. Please check
with the local Rabbinate about these breads, because not all the bread there is
Kosher. All the Kosher bread (rychtaruv, safaruv, nebusicky) is Pat Akum.
For people who drink
Cholov Akum, it is possible to buy milk in any store. There is also a white
yogurt that is considered Kosher for people who drink Cholov Akum. Big
companies such as Danone, Holandia Olma, etc do these yogurts. It is important
that it should be marked as Zive, Jogurtove kulture, or Zive kulture.
Other details you can
find in the kosher list, which is also published, on this site.
Hebrew and English speaking tour
guides
The bee tour –
every Shabbat in the summer, before Mincha in the Old new synagogue, there is a
free guided tour in the Jewish gheto of Prague, by Israel Ben Porat, who is an
Israeli living in Prague. There you can hear the stories and the legends of the
life in Prague, told in a nice and humor-style way. For more details you can
contact Mr. Ben Porat, or Rabbi Barash of Chabbad in Prague.
Aharon - specializes in Jewish aspect
tours also out of Prague - +420-603-221582.
Ariel +420-602-874346. He can arrange Kosher
meals delivered to some hotels, or served in the Jewish town hall.
Ilana: +420-602-317381 website
Moshe - guided tours in Hebrew in the Jewish
quarter, and tours to Karlovy Vary 420-23019209
Rafi - guided tours in
Hebrew in Prague, Terezin and Karlovy Vary 420-605-770550
Marketa - guided tours
in Hebrew in Prague:
+420-604-480335
Jakov - Hebrew or
English tours in Prague: +420-604-857554
·
Precious
Legacy - They can
offer you a guided tour in Hebrew, English or Russian, given by a member of the
community, or a post gradual student of Judaism or a holocaust survivor. They
can also rent an apartment or book hotels, and can sell you tickets to eat in
all Kosher restaurants. Their office is located right near the Jewish community
on Maiselova st.
Maiselova
16. Tel/Fax: +420-224819608. Mobile: +420-602-214088. Providing tours in five
languages.
·
Kosher
Prague – an
agency owned by religious Jewish people, who can offer trasportation, hotel
booking, Kosher food and tour guids in Hebrew or English.
info@kosherprague.com Tel: +420-602-378255
·
Wittmann Tours Another
travel agency, owned by a Jewish woman
Tel: +420-224812325.
Other travel agencies
Galda
– an agency which I don’t know personaly, but seems like it is
pointed for the Jewish tourists
Mikvah
There is a beautiful
Mikvah in Prague, which is used only for women. To set an appointment, please
contact the Rabbanit Dini Barash by telephone: +420-222320896, or the Rabbinate's office, Tel: +420-222310909.
Fax: +420-222318664
Prayers:
There are daily morning
prayers in the Old-New Synagogue at 8:00 am. On Sunday, Monday and Thursday
there are also prayers at the same time in Chabbad house.
Mincha and Maariv are usually at sunset,
in The Chabbad house, and Parizska st.
3, next to the old town square.
Shabbat prayers: on
Friday night at lighting candles time, is Kabbalat Shabbat in the Old-New
Synagogue and in the Jubilee Synagogue, in Jerusalemska St. (about ten minutes
walking distance from the community). Usually there is no Minyan in the Jubilee
synagogue. In the Chabbad house there is a later minyan for Kabalat Shabbat and
Maariv. Times for Shabbat, you can find in this
site . Shabbat morning, at 9:00 in the Old-New Synagogue, and at 8:45 in
the Jubilee Synagogue (usually no minyan), and at 10:30 in Chabad house. Mincha
and Maariv for Motsaei Shabbat is only in the Old-New Synagogue.
We hope you enjoy your
stay, and will be happy to hear some comments about the site and about the
Community. Please feel free to contact us.
Yaron and Elisheva Ben-David