Chabad Lubavitch of Czech Republic
Chabad-Lubavitch in the Czech Republic: Chabad of Prague, led by Rabbi Manis Barash since about 1996, and the 2004–2005 dispute over the Old-New Synagogue after Prague's chief rabbi, Karol Sidon, was dismissed
| Chabad Lubavitch of Czech Republic
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| Type | Jewish religious organisation (Chabad-Lubavitch) |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Prague 1 (110 00) |
| Location | Prague |
| Area served | Czech Republic |
| Key people | Manis Barash (head emissary) |
| Website | https://chabadprague.cz |
| Remarks | Operates as Chabad of Prague |
Chabad Lubavitch of Czech Republic, which operates as Chabad of Prague, is the Chabad-Lubavitch mission in the Czech Republic, led by Rabbi Manis Barash and his wife, Nechama Dina. It is the only Chabad centre in the country listed by the movement's headquarters.[1][2] JTA reported in 2005 that Chabad was not part of the official Czech Jewish community.[3]
History
JTA described Barash in July 2004 as an American Lubavitch rabbi who had worked in Prague for eight years, which would date his arrival to about 1996.[4]
Old-New Synagogue dispute (2004–2005)
In June 2004 the Prague Jewish community's executive board, led by Tomáš Jelínek, dismissed Karol Sidon as chief rabbi of Prague and appointed Barash, described by JTA as the former head of the Chabad centre in Prague, as rabbi of the Old-New Synagogue. Sidon, who remained chief rabbi of the Czech Republic, called his dismissal politically motivated and said Chabad was trying to take control of the community, describing it as a "Chasidic, messianic, ultra-Orthodox sect". Barash called the claim "total nonsense". Members of the synagogue objected that they had not been consulted, and one of its caretakers said a Hasidic rabbi went against "700 years of tradition" there.[4]
In February 2005 a rabbinical judge in Israel, ruling on Jelínek's earlier request, recognised Barash as the official rabbi of the Old-New Synagogue. By then Jelínek had been voted out as chairman, in November 2004.[3]
In April 2005 Sidon and about 30 of his congregation attended a Shabbat service at the Old-New Synagogue. Barash refused Sidon an aliyah (call to the Torah), most of Sidon's congregation left, and a fight broke out in the entrance hall. Accounts conflicted: a community press release said six Barash supporters had beaten two young members of Sidon's congregation, one of whom suffered concussion; a regular at Barash's services said a Sidon supporter had struck a 19-year-old woman and that Chabad regulars then joined in. The man named in that account admitted pushing and slapping the woman, said Chabad supporters had attacked him and injured his spine, and said he planned to press charges. The synagogue was temporarily closed.[3]
JTA reported in 2014 that Sidon had been reinstated when his allies regained control of the community.[5]
Centres
Chabad headquarters lists one centre in the Czech Republic, Chabad of Prague, in Prague 1, postcode district 110 00, led by Manis and Nechama Dina Barash.[2]
See also
- Chabad-Lubavitch movement
- Chabad Lubavitch of Slovakia
- Chabad Lubavitch of Poland
- Chabad Lubavitch of Hungary
References
- ↑ "Czech Republic", Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters (lubavitch.com) centres directory, accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Chabad of Prague", Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters (lubavitch.com), accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Festering Rivalry in Prague Bursts into Open with Violence on Shabbat", JTA, 15 April 2005.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Controversy builds over Prague rabbi", JTA, 19 July 2004.
- ↑ "Prague's longtime chief rabbi leaves colorful and controversial legacy", JTA, 25 August 2014.