Only the stones remain, a photo from Prague, Bohemia

Photographer's Note

Dust to dust... How many tears were shed in this place? I don't know. Who is buried here? I don't know, because I can't read Hebrew. If you can, please translate - we can bring the memory of this person to life. Countless gravestones, roped off to prevent visitors from entering the space belonging only to the dead. Narrow lane leading in curves among the piles of gravestones... Impressive reminder of our human limits, how fragile we are...

Some solid as stone facts from Wikipedia: The Old Jewish Cemetery (Czech: Starý židovský hřbitov, German: Alter Jüdischer Friedhof) lies in the Josefov, the Jewish Quarter of Prague in the Czech Republic. It was in use from the early 15th century until 1787. According to halakhah, Jews must not destroy Jewish graves and in particular it is not allowed to remove the tombstone. This meant that when the cemetery ran out of space and purchasing extra land was impossible, more layers of soil were placed on the existing graves, the old tombstones taken out and placed upon the new layer of soil. This explains why the tombstones in the cemetery are placed so closely to each other. This resulted in the cemetery having 12 layers of graves(wow!).

worldcitizen, rigoletto, Kofman, timecapturer, holmertz ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

rigoletto (34279) 2011-07-16 15:15

Hello Joanna,
We also have such old tombstones in my city Istanbul, on which the inscriptions are done in Ottoman alphabet. People who can read them find very interesting sayings, even sometimes small poems in there. You made great use of light here, the result is good.
Regards,
Deniz

batalay (41261) 2011-07-16 16:15

Hello Joanna,

Cemeteries are poignant reminders of our mortality, and the older ones like this have timelessness about them echoing that sentiment. I like the composition, and the light management.

Warm regards,

Bulent

emka (158030) 2011-07-16 22:01

Witaj,

Pamiętam ten stary cmentarz żydowski z Pragi. Byłam tam lata temu, kiedy mój syn chciał go zobaczyc po lekturze książki o Panu Samochodziku. Robi wrażenie to miejsce. Ładnie pokazane, oświetlony jeden nagrobek, czyli macewa, inne w cieniu, nastrojowe zdjecie. Warszawski też robi wrażenie, bo jest ogromny.

Pozdrawiam Małgorzata

pajaran (115779) 2011-07-16 23:43

Dobar dan.
Dobar tekst, ostalo je kamenje i secanje na ljude ...
Dobar snimak i kompozicija.
Dobar rad, lepa fotografija.
Prijatan dan.
Paja.

Google.

Dzień dobry.
Dobry tekst, reszta to skały i pamięci ludzi ...
Dobry strzał i składu.
Dobra robota, piękne zdjęcia.
Miłego dnia.
Paja.

Good day.
A good text, the rest is rock and the memory of the people ...
Good shot and composition.
Good work, beautiful photos.
Have a nice day.
Paja.

HimalAnda (10671) 2011-07-16 23:59

Hello Joanna,

The light management is excellent. I like the ray of light falling down on the grave. There is a strong mood in your picture.

Stéphane

Longroute (19600) 2011-07-17 1:34

Quite evocative and mysterious. I like how the gravestone is illuminated by this sun ray while the others tombs remain in the dark. Well captured and framed,
Donato

timecapturer (49288) 2011-07-17 4:31

Hi Joanna
very evocative shot but so tenderly composed. It is very atmospheric and the light gives it a striking beauty. Impressive clarity and sharpness. An original image, commentry and presentation. Thought provoking!

Have a peaceful Sunday - Brian

wolf38 (30) 2011-07-17 4:49

Hi Joanna. A cemetery. Old grave stones. Everything is a reminder. The special here is the lighting situation. The light is like a spotlight on the grave stone. Very well seen and realized. Top Rgds, Wolfgang.

holmertz (102604) 2011-07-17 7:19

Hello Joanna,
We will all be dead and soon forgotten. It could hardly be said better than in this photo, with he light falling on just one tomb and the rest left in the darkness, seemingly not tended by anyone for ages.
Kind regards,
Gert

GREGG (7888) 2011-07-17 23:31

Witaj Joanno.
Dobra, zwarta kompozycja. Świetne światło.
Oświetlając płytę nagrobną odsłania, chyba na chwilę to co już zapomniane.
Pozdrawiam Grzegorz