In 2025, the Jewish Museum in Prague significantly enriched its library collection. Three printed volumes originally belonging to the Library of the Jewish Religious Community in Prague—stolen during the Second World War—returned to the city after decades. In addition, the museum acquired an exceptionally valuable Venetian edition of Sefer Tif’eret Yisra’el (1599) by the renowned Prague rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel (the Maharal).

Three Lost Books Returned to Prague

In cooperation with the Amsterdam museum Embassy of the Free Mind, the museum succeeded in identifying and repatriating the commentary on the Book of Daniel, Sefer Ma‘ayanei ha-Yeshu‘a (Ferrara, 1551). Its author is the prominent Jewish philosopher and exegete Rabbi Isaac ben Judah Abravanel (1437–1508), one of the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492.

Thanks to the assistance of Mr. Itzik Swiatlo of Kadmon Auction House, two additional prints were returned to Prague:

• the first edition of the frequently reprinted Yiddish glossary to the Torah and the Five Scrolls, Sefer Be’er Moshe (Prague, 1605), by Rabbi Moshe ben Yissakhar Sertel (1565–1612),
• the commentary on the Babylonian Talmud and on the methodology of its study, Sefer Sha‘arei Chochma (Prague, 1807), by Rabbi Eleazar ben Aryeh Loeb Löw (1758–1837), originally from Poland, who also served in Moravia and southwestern Bohemia.

The Jewish Museum in Prague expresses its deep gratitude to the Embassy of the Free Mind and to Mr. Itzik Swiatlo for their generosity and crucial assistance in returning these volumes to their original collection.

New Acquisition: Sefer Tif’eret Yisra’el (Venice, 1599)

In June 2025, the museum successfully acquired at auction a rare edition of Sefer Tif’eret Yisra’el (The Beauty of Israel), published in Venice in 1599. Its author is one of the most important Prague rabbis, Judah Loew ben Bezalel—Maharal (c. 1525–1609).

This theological–philosophical work explores the significance of the Torah’s commandments in the life of the believer. Maharal emphasizes that a fulfilled life is inseparable from the observance of the commandments, accompanied by deep understanding of their spiritual and metaphysical meaning. He likens the commandments to creative Divine forces through which Jews participate in shaping their own being and assume a meaningful place in the story of Israel.

The volume has been entered into the library collection under accession number H 2025/0034. The acquisition was financially supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, to which the museum expresses its sincere thanks.

A Step Toward Reconstructing the Original Collection

The repatriation of the three rare prints, together with the acquisition of Sefer Tif’eret Yisra’el, represents another partial yet significant step in the effort to reconstruct the original holdings of the Library of the Jewish Religious Community in Prague. Among the items stolen during the Second World War were also two copies of the Venetian edition of the Maharal’s 1599 work.

Author: Ivan Kohout

(Photo: I. Kohout, Jewish Museum in Prague, and Itzik Swiatlo, Kadmon Auction House)