Jewish Life in Central Europe 2025 CRT Trip
This year members of CRT and friends will travel to Prague and Vienna as we continue our exploration of Jewish history in different parts of the world. Enjoy Rabbi Shire's presentation on Jewish Prague that is Part 1 of our presentations and explore the suggested reading list. Learn with us about Jewish Life in Central Europe. Enjoy a photo montage of some of the highlights of our travels.
Prague Suggested Reading
•Prague Winter – Madeleine Albright
A powerful memoir the former U.S. Secretary of State born in Prague—blending personal, Czech, and WWII history.
•Prague Pictures: Portrait of a City – John Banville
Part of the "Writer and the City" series. Personal, poetic reflections by the Booker Prize–winning novelist.
•Under a Cruel Star – Heda Margolius Kovály
A gripping and harrowing memoir from a Jewish Czech woman surviving the Holocaust and Stalinist oppression.
•Golem – Gustav Meyrink
A surreal, mystical novel set in early 20th-century Prague. Inspired by the Jewish legend of the Golem of Prague, this is a symbolic and haunting story drawing heavily on the city’s Jewish folklore.
•Kafka’s Jewish Languages: The Hidden Openness of Tradition – David Suchoff
For those interested in Franz Kafka’s Jewish identity, this work explores how Jewish tradition and modernity shaped his writing—set against Prague’s unique Jewish-German-Czech backdrop.
•Prague in Black and Gold: Scenes from the Life of a European City – Peter Demetz
Prague is at the core of everything both wonderful and terrible in Western history, but few people truly understand this city's unique culture.
•The Last Palace: Europe's Extraordinary Century Through Five Lives and One House in Prague
– Norman Eisen
When Norman Eisen moved into the US ambassador's residence in Prague, returning to the land his mother had fled after the Holocaust, he was startled to discover swastikas hidden beneath the furniture.
A powerful memoir the former U.S. Secretary of State born in Prague—blending personal, Czech, and WWII history.
•Prague Pictures: Portrait of a City – John Banville
Part of the "Writer and the City" series. Personal, poetic reflections by the Booker Prize–winning novelist.
•Under a Cruel Star – Heda Margolius Kovály
A gripping and harrowing memoir from a Jewish Czech woman surviving the Holocaust and Stalinist oppression.
•Golem – Gustav Meyrink
A surreal, mystical novel set in early 20th-century Prague. Inspired by the Jewish legend of the Golem of Prague, this is a symbolic and haunting story drawing heavily on the city’s Jewish folklore.
•Kafka’s Jewish Languages: The Hidden Openness of Tradition – David Suchoff
For those interested in Franz Kafka’s Jewish identity, this work explores how Jewish tradition and modernity shaped his writing—set against Prague’s unique Jewish-German-Czech backdrop.
•Prague in Black and Gold: Scenes from the Life of a European City – Peter Demetz
Prague is at the core of everything both wonderful and terrible in Western history, but few people truly understand this city's unique culture.
•The Last Palace: Europe's Extraordinary Century Through Five Lives and One House in Prague
– Norman Eisen
When Norman Eisen moved into the US ambassador's residence in Prague, returning to the land his mother had fled after the Holocaust, he was startled to discover swastikas hidden beneath the furniture.
Vienna Suggested Reading
- Stefan Zweig: The World of Yesterday (memoirs) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_of_Yesterday
https://www.amazon.com/World-Yesterday-Stefan-Zweig/dp/0803226616 - Edmund de Waal: The Hare with Amber Eyes (a family memoir)
https://www.amazon.com/Hare-Amber-Eyes-Illustrated-Inheritance/ - NEW, published in 2024: Richard Cocket: Vienna - How the City of Ideas Created the Modern World
(reader friendly and fact based account of the impact of Vienna's inter-war intellectual legacy on the world at large)
https://www.amazon.com/Vienna-Ideas-Created-Modern-World/dp/0300279361/ - Stefan Zweig: Chess Story (novel)
https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Story-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590171691/
Vienna Suggested Streaming and Films
- Vienna Blood: Streaming series available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and PBS
- Max (2002 film): Available on Amazon Prime
- Vienna, Its Jews, The 20th Century: Available on YouTube on the link below
