Dubrovnik Old Town is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Its nickname is "The Pearl of Adriatic Sea". Its houses and its alleys preserve the medieval atmosphere. Dubrovnik Is rightly very popular for Israelis. No wonder that sometimes Israeli tour operators are renting entire hotels for their religious clients, and making the kitchens and dining rooms Kosher. Walking around Dubrovnik alleys on our feet, is like looking with our eyes between the lines of an ancient book. For us it's not just an old book, but it can also be a holy book. Not everyone knows that this historic city also has a rich and interesting Jewish history as well, some of which remains and can be seen nowadays too

To the north of the town was a small village called Ragusa, which gave its name to the city. In some old Jewish books it's mentioned as Ragusa. Slavens called the city "Dubrovnik".        i

Today Dubrovnik is a small city of 42,000, which hosts two million tourists each year. Israel is ranked 20th in the list of countries from which tourists come. Mrs. Sandra Milovčević, of the Dubrovnik Tourist Office, reports that 5,236 Israeli tourists arrived in the first 8 months of 2019. A 33% increase over the same period last year. In the entire of 2018, 4,614 tourists arrived from Israel. "We are the only region in Croatia where the number of tourists from Israel has not decreased this year," she proudly points out

Dubrovnik is highly recommended to be included in our next trip abroad. It is great for family vacations and short weekend breaks. Unfortunately, only one weekly direct flight operates from Israel to Dubrovnik airport, and only during the summer season. We can get there also on flights to Zagreb, and from there a connecting flight to Dubrovnik, but that doubles the travel time

The old city

Pile Square in front of the Pile Gate in the old city wall is the main entrance to the old city and the tourist meeting place. At the edge of the square we see the Jewish Fountain. A pillar with a lion's head figurine, with water flowing from its mouth. The fountain was erected some 500 years ago in the Old City by Jews. In the 19th century, the fountain was moved here

You should walk right to the square edge to see the wall next to what was Dubrovnik's harbor. On the hill to the right is the St. Lawrence Fortress. It looks familiar even to first-timer visitors, since we all saw it many times in the "Game of Thrones" TV series, where he it called "Red Keep

Now we enter the old city through the gate. In front of the gate is a stone bridge over part of a water channel that once surrounded the wall. The last part is a wooden bridge, which was lifted every evening untill the last century. Anyone arriving in the city at night would have to wait outside until morning. When we enter through the gate we see that the city actually has two parallel walls. The outer wall is very thick, and it was built after the start using gunpowder. Behind it is another older one, higher and thinner wall that protected the city before

I recommend starting our journey in Dubrovnik by walking on its walls. Inside Pile Gate there are stairs to the Promenade of the Wall. The wall surrounds the city and we can see the roofs of beautiful orange shingles and houses. The width of the wall is about half a meter or somewhere even less. Here and there, there are also broad expanses, like above the gates of Jerusalem. These plazas have buffets that offer drinks and chairs and benches for rest. The sights from the wall are lovely, and also give us the opportunity to get acquainted with the city streets, which we will walk later in the day

You should look not only into the city, but also towards the sea, and watch the powerful waves crashing on the rocks on which the base of the wall is built. Tip: It is important to tighten our Kipa and hats to the head, because sudden strong winds from the sea can blow away our headdress

The length of the wall is about 2 km, less than the Jerusalem wall. The city's circling is supposed to last about one hour without stops. But there is no such thing as "without stops". We'll want to stop to take pictures, or will be stocked behind other taking pictures, or behind a group. So, in the summer you should schedule two and a half hours

After we walk around the city, we'd get off the walls and walk inside. In the inner square opposite a Pile gate we can see a circular structure, with 16 figurines pouring water from their mouths. It is the last station of an aqueduct built in 1440 to bring water to the city from springs 12 miles away

The main street that crosses the Old Town, Placa Street, is usually crowded in the summer. To move more efficiently, we can move to smaller parallel streets

We will move slowly along the picturesque street that takes us back to the Middle Ages. All the alleys, streets and houses are beautiful looking. But what interests us most is the Jewish street 'Ulica Zudoiska". It is in the third alley before the end of the street on the left, just before the clock tower

The Jewish ghetto began here in 1546. At first, the Jews were allowed to live only in houses adjacent to the placa, but over the years and generations the ghetto expanded up the street to the wall, and later extended to the nearby streets

At house No. 5 on Jewish Street is the Synagogue, which dates from 1546. It is one of the three oldest synagogues in Europe (the others are in Split and Prague). For a more detailed description of the synagogue, we will return later in this article

On the stone lintel at the door of house number 9 we see a small Menorah etched into the wall. In addition, there is a concrete cover in the lintel, on what was probably a Mezuzah. One of the hallmarks of Jewish homes was flower pots and planters with flowers used to lay on their windowsills

Near the clock tower in front of the synagogue is a beautiful church of the Bishop Blaise who is the patron of the city. He was a physician by profession, and was in friendship with many Jewish doctors in the city

At the end of the street the last house on the left is the Sponza Palace, where the governors of the city lived. Recently converted to cultural activities center. It is the only building on the street that survived the great earthquake in 1667. A beautiful Baroque-style building. It gives us an idea and an example of what all the houses on Placa Street looked like until the earthquake. Following the earthquake, the army brought in an engineering unit that cleared the rubble, and built homes in a uniform simple military style

   

We will pass through the gate under the clock tower, and reach the old pier. Nowadays private boats are anchored there, but in the past there have been big ships. The view is stunning. There we can get on a boat sailing for tourists around the islands. The kids will love this experience

We head back into the Old City through the same gate and turn left onto Pred Dvorom Street. The large and beautiful building to our left is the Town Hall. In its left corner stood the Jewish Fountain, which was mentioned at the beginning of the article

The next building on our left side is the Rector’s Palace, built in the 14th century. Inside there is a history museum. The first rooms have ancient pictures and Christian icons. Below are more statues, and a room with antique safes. Inside the palace there is a beautiful interior, and almost every evening there are concerts and cultural performances

Further down the street on the right is Dubrovnik's Main Cathedral. The original cathedral was given to the city as a gift by the King of England, Richard Coeur de Lion, in 1192, after being rescued from the sinking of his ship off the coast of Dubrovnik. This Cathedral was also destroyed in the earthquake in 1667. On its ruins built this beautiful Baroque-style church

Game of Thrones

Behind the cathedral is a narrow path that leads to the "Uz Jezuite" stairs, which are named after the school which they lead to. Their shape is reminiscent of the Spanish Steps in Rome. Recently, one of the important scenes in the "Game of Thrones" television series was filmed here. Many more scenes in the series were filmed throughout Dubrovnik's Old Town. In that series Dubrovnik is called "Kings Landing" and it is the capital of the "Kingdom of Westeros".     i

In the movie, the adulterous queen was punished in the "parade of shame". She was doomed to descend naked on these "shame steps" while the laymen mocked and spat at her. Since then, this place has become a tourist attraction for the series lovers. There are other sites in the city where the series was filmed, and demand has created a special tour route following the Game of Thrones. Tourist guides don't like the important status of the city because of the 'Game of Thrones'. "There is a rich history in this town before the Game of Thrones came," resented the tour guide who accompanied me

The ancient synagogue

As mentioned, the most interesting site in Dubrovnik for Jewish travelers is the Synagogue. It is located at Jewish Street No. 5, on the third floor

Before entering the synagogue, you should look up, and look for the Hebrew phrase "Baruch Ata Bevoacha" "Blessed are you coming"  on the outer wall of the second floor. On the wall of the opposite house is the inscription "Baruch Ata Betzetcha" "Welcome you out" , which is clearly visible from the first floor. Researchers estimate that there was once a bridge connecting these two houses, and so the addresses were within sight

We go up the stairs to the synagogue. At the end before the entrance we see charity Tzedaka boxes inside the wall, with donation goals. One says "For poor". Probably locals. On the other boxes are written 4 names of the Holy Cities in Israel – Jerusalem, Safed, Hebron, and Tiberias. This indicates the close connection of the Dubrovnik community with the old Jewish settlements in Israel

The interior of the synagogue is decorated in Baroque style, made of dark and heavy mahogany in shades of dark red. The Holy Ark (Aron Kodesh) is very impressive, with a wooden crown on its head. The Torah reading platform (Bima) is very high and longer than usual

Jewish worshipers would sit on benches along the walls, with their backs to the wall and their faces to the Bima and Aron Kodesh. The massive wooden benches are painted black. I counted 24 seats there. The Dubrovnik Jewish community was always small, and no more seating was needed

There are lampshades hanging from the ceiling, some of them medieval, with candles and no electricity. The floor is made of dark parquet. The ancient synagogue has a sense of holiness in its dark colors

The synagogue was damaged by the earthquake in 1667, and renovated. This synagogue was one of the only survived of the Holocaust, because Italian fascists confiscated it for use as a warehouse for cleaning products. During the civil war in the 1990s, the synagogue was damaged again. Serbian soldiers threw a grenade through the window and caused a great damage. This was not an anti-Semitic incident. The Serbs also threw grenades into other houses in the area, and may not even knew it is a synagogue

On the first floor below the synagogue is a Jewish museum with religious objects. It contains ancient Torah scrolls from the 13-14 century. This Torah scrolls came with the expatriates of Spain in 1492, and the writing is still clear and readable today

There is a plaque in memory of 27 Holocaust victims from Dubrovnik. At the top of the list is the name of Rabbi Baruch Salomon. It is interesting to discover the names of Sephardim and Ashkenazim who lived in harmony in this small community. One of the interesting exhibits is a letter written by Moses Montefiory to the Dubrovnik community in 1883, in which he thanks them for the blessings they sent him in honor of his 99th birthday

The cable car

We continue our walk in the beautiful alleys of Dubrovnik. It is recommended to end with a view of the Old Town from the top of Srd Mountain nearby. We'd get there by a cable car. The view from there is like a painted postcard. You must not miss the look, as a sweet "dessert" ending our trip to Dubrovnik

Tip: It is best to get on the mountain cable car in the morning or noon. In the afternoon it is less recommended because the sun is dazzling in front of us, and disturbs us to see the stunning scenery and take pictures

As we walk to the cable car station, we see on our left a fire station. This station stands on the area that was the Jewish cemetery in the Iza Grada neighborhood. It is known that in 1652 the Jews were granted permission to expand it. Which indicating it was already existed before. The cemetery was destroyed many centuries ago. Those who demolished the cemetery, robbed gravestones for construction purposes. Some of the Jewish headstones can be seen in buildings in the old city. Here is an example of stairs of one of the houses

And here is a section of the top wall of St. James's Tower

The Jewish point

At the beginning of World War II, 87 Jews lived in Dubrovnik. Before the Holocaust, there were many Minyan prayers in the synagogue, but today the synagogue is used only on holidays. Only 40 Jews are registered in the community, all of whom are secular, and there is no Rabbi nor Hazan

A Chabad House is opened during the tourist season, which is a temporary extension of the Chabad House in Zagreb. Zagreb Shaliach, Rabbi Pini Zakles, makes sure that all Jews keeping kosher who arrive in Dubrovnik would not stay hungry, and would not have to compromise. Those of us who forgot to pack their Tefillin can use the Tefillin in the Chabad house. There is no permanent address for the Chabad house in Dubrovnik, since each year they rent a different place. Details at: kosherzagreb@gmail.com

Occasionally, religious tourist groups of Vered Holidayes and Tour Plus come to celebrate Passover here in Dubrovnik, and they are praying in the ancient synagogue as well, in addition to the Minyan in their local hotel

Compared to the small Jewish community in our generation, in past generations Dubrovnik had a big spiritually prosperous Jewish community and influenced the entire  southeast Europe. The community has been activating a Talmud Torah, Beit Midrash, Chevra Kadisha Society, Cherity Tzedaka Company, Bikur Cholim, and more

The first Jewish family came to Dubrovnik from France about 700 years ago and were engaged in jewelry. Following the expulsion of Spain in 1492, more Jewish refugees arrived in Dubrovnik. Initially, the government did not accept them willingly, because they wanted to maintain positive political relations with Spain and Portugal. In the mid-16th century, the authorities changed their policies, and encouraged Jews to live in Dubrovnik. To do so, they allocated the ghetto area for them. Many of the Jews who arrived were medical doctors and pharmacists, and many merchants improved the economic situation of the city

One of the greatest Kabbalists in history, Rabbi Israel Ben Saruk, lived in Dubrovnik in the 16th century. He studied Kabbalah in Safed  from the Ar"i  students, and moved to Dubrovnik. The HIDA  writes that he taught Rabbi Shlomo Lurie. The Gaon of Vilnius writes that "The Book of Modesty" written by Rabbi Ben Saruk of Rogosa is considered one of the foundation books of Kabbalah

There are documents from that period that the Vatican informs the Dubrovnik kings that they do not approve of the appointment of a Jewish physician to be the head of the health system, and they are demanding to replace him with a Christian doctor. The municipality responded that the city was very close to the Ottoman-dominated area, and sometimes the Turks demanded to send them a specialist. "We do not want a Christian doctor to treat impure Muslims, so it is better that the doctor should be Jewish" they wrote back to the Vatican

Historical documents show that the Jews who were deported from Spain endeavored to have pleasures in Dubrovnik, and often held parties and banquets. There is a 16th-century document in which the local bishop forbids Christians to attend Jews' parties before Easter. From this proclamation, it is understandable that the Jews held mass parties, and gentiles also attended them during the year, except before Easter

In 1558, the well-known Portuguese poet Didachus Pyrrhus arrived in Dubrovnik. He was one of the Jewish Anusim who had to convert. When he lived in Dubrovnik he returned to Judaism openly, and also returned to his Jewish name, Yitzhak Cohen, but continued to sign his works and books by his foreign name

In 1623 there was a terrible bloody falsely accuse in Dubrovnik. The body of a Christian girl was found under the bed in a merchant's house. When she was questioned by the police, she framed up a version that Jews paid her for killing the girl. The cops asked her "Who?" Then she named Isaac Yeshurun. He was the only Jew she knew. Several years before she had received a loan from him. He was subjected to severe torture and stood up in hardship

As part of the investigations, the chief rabbi of Dubrovnik, Rabbi Aharon Cohen, was arrested too for questioning. On this plot, Rabbi Aharon Cohen wrote the book "Ma'aseh Yeshurun", published in Venice in 1657. Before my trip to Dubrovnik I got a new edition of the book. While in Dubrovnik, I sat down to rest in a cafe at the edge of the ghetto, opposite the Jewish Street. I ordered a light drink, and started reading the book "Ma'ase Yeshurun" which describes what happened at the street in front of me some 350 years ago

The book opens with the phrase "a small town and a few people in it, like twenty houses, called Ragusa, and it overpowered." The book describes the testimony of the murderer lady against Yitzhak Yeshurun, and recounts "and immediately sent the court ministers to close the door of all the Jews in the place called "Ghetto" and sent to the get Isaac, and he was brought before the ministers". I raise my eyes from the book, and about twenty meters in front of me is the ghetto gate mentioned in this book. WOW! Very exciting

The book describes in a pictorial way the torture they did to Isaac Yeshurun, the public trial, and the collective concern for a Jew who was the victim of the plot. This episode had a happy end. Yitzhak Yeshurun ​​was released only three years later, healthy and in good shape, which amazed those who knew the physical torture he had undergone. The author also writes about the moral significance of liberation, concluding "If, God forbid, so much of a torment, he would choose death from life, and most sorrowfully would say: "It was as you say", there would nothing be left of us all, God forbid"…      i

I recommend that every traveler and tour guide should pack the book "Ma'ase Yeshurun" and read for himself and read to his children in the area of ​​the Placa opposite the entrance to the Jewish ghetto

Rabbi Aharon Cohen also wrote in Dubrovnik the books "Zekan Aharon", "Vayedaber Aaron"  about morals and sermons, and "Shemen Hatov"  on the Ta'amey of the Torah

Another Dubrovnik chief rabbi, Rabbi Yisrael Feibel, was the son-in-law of the GRA, the Gaon of Vilnius. The GRA writes in his book "Dikduk Eliyahu" about an in-depth discussion of questions of full spelling and missing spelling, which he conducted with his son-in-law, "Israel from Ragusa".        i

Everyone Israeli is familiar with the flea market in Jaffa. Its main part is located at Yehuda Me-Raguza street, starts from Jaffa Clock Square eastbound. Yehuda Halevi was born and raised in Ragusa (Dubrovnik), immigrated to Israel at the age of 18 in 1807, and studied at a yeshiva in Jerusalem. In 1825 he was sent to Jaffa, to establish a sort of "absorption center" where he had to help Jews who came to Israel via the Jaffa port, and wanted to continue on their way to Jerusalem. He carried out his mission, and at the same time influenced some of the immigrants to make their home in Jaffa. Thus he founded and established the Jewish community in Jaffa, and even appointed Jaffa Rabbi and Dayan. He also influenced Karl Netter to establish the "Mikveh Israel" agricultural school near Jaffa

The Holocaust Period

As the Germans approached Dubrovnik in World war II, the leaders of the Jewish community decided to hide all the community's valuables documents. They buried in one of the villages outside the city all the community records, which included names of births and deaths and donations and the like. The Torah Scrolls were put into large jugs, and also buried. All five people who knew the secret of the hiding location were murdered in the Holocaust, and the hiding place is unknown to this day

We still know quite a bit about the Jews of Dubrovnik in the past, thanks to Mrs. Vesna Miovic, who spent years researching the municipality's archive of the last centuries. Among the many protocols of the Dubrovnik courts, she also found names of Jewish litigants. For us, some of the legal discussions portray a part of the Jewish daily life of Dubrovnik

For example, in 1773, Samuel Ambunty sued his neighbor, Yehuda Volenzin, for spilling stale water from his window to the street. Yehuda Volenzin replies in court testimony: "It is true that I threw water out the window. Everyone does so in the ghetto. Mr. Ambunti throws out not only water but also garbage out of the window. The wind always infects his garbage to my home windows, and I'm forced to wash them every day…". It's a nice story, one of many, that can teach us a little about the life of the Jews in the ghetto 300 years ago

Out of town

Dubrovnik is located on the Adriatic coast, which has dozens of lovely islands. There are small islands that are uninhabited, some islands with one or two houses, and there are about ten large islands. We can go sailing between the islands for a full day on a cruise ship leaving Dubrovnik port to the north, and returning in the evening. The ship stops in some of the islands, and we can go off board and wander near the harbor. We can also rent a yacht or a catamaran, with or without a skipper, and go on a private cruise. If we have a rental car, we can take a trip north along the seashore. In some places there is a ferry to take us with our vehicle to the nearby island

The view over the coastal road is stunning in its beauty. There are several observation posts along the coast road and islands. The sights are lovely

Of the many islands we should especially come to the island of Korcula. Its beauty is similar to the rest of the islands, but for us it is different and special because to this island the Dubrovnik Jews fled as the Nazis approached their city. Here they hid in rented apartments in the city and in the forests. Apparently, somewhere on the island of Korcula the Torah scrolls and the documents of the Dubrovnik Jewish community were hidden and buried. Another link to Judaism is the famous painter Richard Ziegler. He escaped from Berlin when the Nazis' rise to power, and bought a home in Korcula, and lived here for 4 years, where he painted the island's landscapes. As the Germans approached Korcula, he and his family fled again. The people of Korcula learned that he was Jewish only when the Germans arrived at his abandoned home to take him to Auschwitz. Some of his paintings are exhibited in the local museum

At the south end of the island is the town of Korcula with ancient houses, and a wall with fortresses. The ancient region of the island is built on a peninsula, reminiscent of Dubrovnik's structure. Korcula has a rich history displayed in museums and churches. This island has a lot of folk festivals and street parades with traditional clothes. There is a chance we will get to see one of them on our quick visit. I stayed one night on the island, at the beautiful Hotel della Vill by the sea, adjacent to the ancient wall. This is the view I saw in the morning from the balcony of my hotel room

 For those traveling by car, it is also worth stopping in the small town of STON. It has an ancient walled city were built in 1333. This wall is also called the "European version of the Chinese wall". When we get there we understand why. Along the wall are 3 fortresses, each of which can be accessed to the wall. The entire wall is about five kilometers long, and there is a shorter route of less than 2 km. Hiking on top of the wall is recommended. On the outskirts of the town there are the oldest salt-cutting quarries in the Middle East, which also operate today

More tips

It is advisable to buy a "Dubrovnik Card" which allows free admission to most museums and sites, as well as free public transport. There are 3 types of Dubrovnik cards – one day, three days, and one week

Croatia is considered a very safe country. There is not much crime, and almost no anti-Semitism. No problem walking around with a Kipa

Almost all Croatians speak English, so there is no problem communicating with them

Last year, Croatia won second place in the Football World Cup after France. That's th pride of the locals. It is worthwhile to open every small talk with this win, and the desire of locals to help us will do wonders

Dubrovnik also offers a host of challenging sports such as jeep tours, horseback riding, water sports like motorcycles and boat rental, water skiing, scuba diving, and so on. One of my pleasant experiences from the trip to Dubrovnik was kayaking at sunset under the wall and to one of the islands