Yeshiva University High School for Boys’ (MTA) 12th Grade Jewish history class was privileged to host Rabbi Mordechai Becher this past week, on Monday, November 2. Rabbi Becher teaches at Yeshiva University and is a sought after and renowned lecturer on Torah, Jewish History and Jewish Philosophy, having traveled around the world teaching these subjects.
Rabbi Becher taught the students about the history of Prague from the 10th century until the Holocaust, and noted that aside from the years of World War II, a minyan was held in prominent Prague synagogues for centuries. The class presentation focused on personalities, locations and ideas that were specific to the Prague Jewish Community. Some of the personalities discussed included the Maharal (R’ Yehuda Loewe), the Tosafos Yom Tov (R’ Yom Tov Lipman Heller), the Noda B’Yehuda (R’ Yechezkel Landau) and Franz Kafka. Many of the structures and buildings discussed still stand today; Prague was not bombed during the Holocaust, and, in fact, many believe that this city was intended to serve as a Nazi museum regarding the extinct Jews after the Holocaust. Rabbi Becher provided insights into the lives of Prague Jews throughout the centuries, through pictures, stories, humor and Torah ideas, all of which gave the students a larger historical perspective on this remarkable Jewish community.
This visit was the second in a series of guest lectures for the 12th grade modern Jewish history class organized by Mr. Bernstein.
