Josefov: Jews in Prague

Josefov is an area of central Prague, today Czech Republic, formerly the Jewish ghetto of the town. The quarter is often represented by the flag of Prague's Jewish community, a yellow Magen David (Star of David) on a red field.Jews are believed to have settled in Prague as early as the 10th century. The first pogrom was in 1096 (the first crusade) and eventually they were concentrated within a walled Ghetto. In 1262 P?emysl Otakar II issued a Statuta Judaeorum which granted the community a degree of self administration. In 1389 one of the worst pogroms saw over 3,000 massacred at Easter. The ghetto was most prosperous towards the end of the 16th century when the Jewish Mayor, Mordecai Maisel, became the Minister of Finance and a very wealthy man. His money helped
develop the ghetto.