The most important person they said buried in this cemetery is ‘Rabbi Loew’. I didn’t have enough time to read about him but legend says he once had a 9-foot tall golem (like a robot creation) made from clay. Golem was made to protect the Jews in the district but one day he went into a wild rampage and Rabbi Low had to destroy him by writing the name of God in a wafer and putting it inside his mouth. The golem’s remains were said to be in the attic of the Altneuschul (Old-New Synagogue).
You can also find small folded notes and letters squeezed into the cracks of many tombstones. These are said to be prayers left by the visitors. I can only guess, Jewish visitors.
Of course, the visit is not complete without taking a foto of me in the cemetery. While getting ready to smile in front of my camera, two older British ladies passed by and whispered to me, ‘You can not take fotos here.’ Then, all of a sudden they broke out in giggles, just like little girls.
I joined in the giggling and laughter. They told me how ridiculously expensive the tickets were. They felt they were ripped off big time. One of the women said in a hushed tone, her hand partly covering her mouth while squinting her eye and her lip half-apart, ‘It’s because they are Jews...’
They asked if I was from America and I told them my standard line when asked this sort of question, ‘I am from the Philippines but I now live in Holland.’
The encounter with the two older British ladies left me hanging a bit. It was as if I was in the middle of some English-style female gossiping sitting but somehow done with taste. Eeeek.
Travel Period: December 2008