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Plzen
Continued from page 12.
three day visit to Prague.
From the moment that we decided
to go on the mission we became
determined to visit “our congrega
tion” in Plzen. We immediately
contacted Rabbi Alper, who gave
us some additional information
and the phone number of Rudolph
Lowy’s niece in Bethesda, Md.
When we reached her she gave us
Mr. Lowy’s phone number and
urged us to make every effort to
visit Plzen, which is about 60
kilometers from Prague. She felt
our visit would be important to the
community.
We arrived in Prague on Wed
nesday evening. After reviewing
our busy program for our brief
stay, we began to feel there would
be no time to get to Plzen—but we
couldn’t stop making every effort.
Thursday morning we called Mr.
Lowy and, after explaining to him
who we were, (he was insistent on
our visiting Plzen) we explained
our dilemma with our tight sche
dule.
He was as frustrated as we were
but when he learned our tour would
take us to the Terezin concentra
tion camp on Friday morning, he
declared he would meet us there.
His plan was that after our tour of
Terezin, he would take us to Plzen
and then bring us to Prague Friday
evening.
When our bus arrived at the
parking lot in Terezin, we spotted
this nice looking gentlemen pacing
back and forth in front of his car.
We knew immediately it was Mr.
1 owy.
Rudolph Lowy proved to be a
charming, knowledgeable and re
markable man. He is a native of
Pl/en and at the age of 20 ran away
to England to join the Free Czech
Army. During the war he came
back to Czechoslovakia to fight
with the underground forces. He
speaks English very well.
After ouremotional but enlight
ening tour of Terezin, Joy and
Bernie Howard joined us as we
headed for Plzen with Mr. Lowy.
Every minute of our trip was spent
learning about life in Czechoslo
vakia in general and particularly
about Jewish life in Plzen.
Upon entering the city we stopped
at the Jewish Cemetery, which is
still maintained and used. You
could tell from the magnificent
black marble headstones that Plzen
had been an affluent community —
which was confirmed and described
by Mr. Lowy.
We visited the synagogue, which
was built in 189.1 to accomodate
Plzen’s 3,500 Jews. It is an out
standingly beautiful building that
has fallen into sad disrepair. It is
now used by fewer than 50 Jews
who survived and remained Jew
ish. They hold services in a small
chapel behind the main sanctuary.
We joined the Congregation for
Friday evening services and with
the four of us there were 11 people
for the minyan, one of whom was
not Jewish, but attends services
regularly.
Although deteriorating, the
building is beautiful. The large
main sanctuary with it’s four-story
vaulted ceilings, magnificent mar
ble and carved wood “Bema” and
“Ark” is still an awesome sight. As
you stood there in the center you
could picture this sanctuary filled
to capacity, hear the chanting of
prayers and the compelling voice
of a hazzan ringing through the
space.
Then suddenly my heart was sad
and a cold chill ran down my spine
realizing that the splendor, that
had been was reduced to an aged
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congregation of less than 50
souls—no rabbi and only an elderly
layman who serves as a reader.
Since our visit we received word
that three of their members had
passed away—among them their
secretary who was 83 years old.
Her successor was a younger per
son of only 60. They continue to
have services every Friday evening.
J o add to this experience we had
the opportunity to meet Mr. Lowy’s
wife and married children, a son
and daughter, neither whom are
Jewish. In Czechoslovakia you arc
a member of a religion only if you
declare yourself and register.
As a memento of our visit Mr.
Lowy gave us a prayer book pub
lished in 1857 with the embossed
initials “JS” which has been in use
in the congregation. We will place
the prayer book in the museum
case alongside the Plzen Torah.
As we drove back to Prague with
Mr. Lowy’s son, we were grateful
that we had the opportunity to
attend services with this remnant
community yet our hearts were
heavy. Our Torah became an even
greater symbol than it originally
was and the continuation of our
trip to Israel became even more
important.
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