This publication focuses on the topic of the genizah, the Jewish custom of storing away worn-out ritual objects and sacred texts in a place where they can disintegrate naturally – usually in a synagogue attic. Employees of the Jewish Museum in Prague have been carrying out genizah research in the attics of synagogues in Bohemia and Moravia since the 1990s. They have already found several thousand fragments of books and scrolls, as well as textiles and objects made of wood and metal dating from between the 16th and 19th centuries. These finds authentically guide the reader through the everyday life of a traditional rural Jew, throughout the Jewish year with its holidays – and through the Jewish quarter, including the synagogue, school and cemetery.
