Going to the Shach
How to get there and what to know on the spot, the zmanim and the weather in Holešov, kosher food on the way, where to stay and who drives — the Shach’s shul, kivrei tzaddikim nearby, and a card to take along.
The Way to Holešov
Holešov is a small town in Mehrin, in eastern Czechia. You fly into Vienna or Prague and drive from there. The Tziyun is in the town's Beis HaChaim.
There is still no Beis Medrash and no Hachnosas Orchim at the Tziyun — you have to arrange everything yourself. That is exactly what we are building.
- Beis HaChaimHankeho 260, Holešov
- The Shach's ShulPříční 128, Holešov
- MikvahPříční 126, Holešov
For the Shul and the Mikvah, call Vratislav a day ahead: +420 603 796 411
Before you travel, call for information:
- ViennaVIE230 kmabout 2½ hours
- PraguePRG300 kmabout 3 hours
- KrakówKRKOn a pilgrimage to kivrei tzaddikim in Poland250 kmabout 3 hours
- BrnoBRQ80 kmabout 1 hour
- OstravaOSR100 kmabout 1¼ hours
Times are approximate — by car, without traffic.
When You Arrive
The Beis HaChaim and the shul stand almost side by side, off Hankeho street. Here is everything you need to know on the spot — from where to go in to where to wash your hands.
The Beis HaChaim’s gate is at Hankeho 260 — it isn’t easy to find; the button leads straight to the gate.
- 01
Getting In
The Beis HaChaim belongs to the Jewish community of Brno. You go in from Hankeho street, through a gate and courtyard renovated in 2020. The Shach’s Tziyun is toward the back of the Beis HaChaim.
Call Vratislav a day ahead so he can open for you — the Beis HaChaim, the shul and the Mikvah.
Call Vratislav +420 603 796 411 - 02
Water and Washing
In the old gravedigger’s house by the gate there are now toilets, a small kitchen and a place to rest.
Still, keep a bottle of water and a cup in the car — in winter the water may be shut off, and when it’s locked there’s nowhere else to get it.
- 03
Kohanim
A Kohen does not go into the Beis HaChaim. Because the Tziyun is toward the back, kohanim have until now not been able to come close or even see it — that is why the Heichal HaKohanim is being built, with a window straight out onto the Tziyun.
How close a Kohen may come — ask your Rav.
The Heichal HaKohanim → - 04
Mikvah
The Mikvah is in Holešov itself, at Příční 126 — next to the shul, a few steps from the Beis HaChaim.
Vratislav opens it. When you call, tell him you want to toivel, and when.
- 05
Parking
The streets by the Beis HaChaim and the shul (Hankeho, Příční) are not on the town’s paid-parking list. Paid parking (by machine or app, up to 24 hours) is on nám. Dr. E. Beneše, nám. F. X. Richtra and Zámecká, Grohova, Nerudova and Tovární.
Follow the signs, and don’t block a driveway. With a bus — ask Vratislav or the vaad beforehand where it can stand.
Sources: seznamzpravy.cz (2020) · shach.org · the town’s regulation 8/2024
The Zmanim in Holešov
Live, by the sun over Holešov, in Holešov time — whatever time your phone is set to. Pick the day of your trip, and the card below prints that day’s zmanim.
Where you are it’s 23:12 — Holešov is 6 hours ahead
- Alos HaShachar16.1°05:34
- Misheyakir11.5°06:02
- Netz HaChama07:08
- Sof Zman Krias ShemaMGA09:15
- Sof Zman Krias ShemaGRA09:51
- Sof Zman TefillaMGA10:22
- Sof Zman TefillaGRA10:46
- Chatzos12:36
- Mincha Gedola13:06
- Mincha Ketana15:47
- Plag HaMincha16:55
- Shkiah18:03
- Tzeis HaKochavim8.5°18:52
- Rabbeinu Tam72 min19:16
Calculated for Holešov (49.33° N, 17.58° E), at sea level. MGA: 72 minutes before netz to 72 minutes after shkiah. Mincha Gedola: no earlier than half an hour after chatzos. Your Rav’s luach comes first.
Before You Go
Papers, money, electricity and the weather — and a list to tick off, so nothing is forgotten.
Passport and Entry
- Americans need no visa — up to 90 days in any six months.
- Your passport must be valid at least 3 months after you leave Europe, and issued within the last 10 years.
- On your first entry they now take fingerprints and a photo (the “EES”) — expect a longer line.
- ETIAS (€20, online) isn’t running yet — there is no date. Beware of websites already selling it.
Money: Koruna, Not Euro
- Czechia pays in koruna (Kč, CZK). Euros are sometimes taken, at the worst rate.
- Cards (Visa, Mastercard) are taken almost everywhere. A few small places — like Penzion Hana — are cash only.
- Take cash from a bank machine (ČSOB, Komerční banka, Česká spořitelna). Avoid the yellow Euronet machines and the airport exchange booths.
- When a machine or terminal asks — always choose “CZK”, never “dollars”. That “conversion” costs a lot.
Electricity and Phone
- 230 volts, a type E plug (type C fits too).
- Phone chargers and laptops are fine — just an adapter. A 110-volt hair dryer or shaver needs a converter.
- Ask your phone company about roaming, or buy a European eSIM before you go.
Driving
- A US driver’s license alone isn’t accepted — you need an International Driving Permit (IDP) with it, from AAA.
- The motorways need an electronic vignette (edalnice.cz). A car rented in Vienna has only the Austrian one; buy the Czech one yourself.
- Headlights must be on day and night, all year. Phones only hands-free.
Sources: the Czech embassy in Washington · the European Union · ECB
The Weather in Holešov
Open-MeteoThe weather didn’t load — perhaps your filter blocks it. Everything else on this page works without it.
How Much Is That in Koruna?
The List to Pack
Tick what you already have — this page remembers it on this phone or computer.
Kosher Food on the Way
There is no kosher food in Holešov. You buy it in the city you come through — Vienna, Prague or Kraków — and bring it along.
The kosher shops are in the 2nd district (Leopoldstadt). Friday they close early; ask about Sunday hours.
- KosherlandSupermarket
- Kosher WienSupermarket
- Ohel MosheBakery
Addresses are from the shops and kehillos themselves, October 2026. Check the hours ahead, and ask your Rav about the hashgachos.
Shabbos in Holešov
Whoever stays for Shabbos by the Shach must bring and arrange everything ahead:
- 1There is no eruv — and no kehilla and no minyan.
- 2The seudos: order in Vienna or Prague, and ask the hotel for a fridge. Leave time for the drive — Friday is short.
- 3Candles: many hotels forbid flames in the room and have sensors on the ceiling. Ask ahead where you may light.
- 4Electronic key cards, automatic doors and lights: ask for an ordinary key, and see where the corridor sensors are.
- 5Shabbos zmanim — in the zmanim above; pick the Friday.
A Directory of Holešov
Taxis, hotels, emergencies and shopping — with numbers you can tap to call. Distances are from the Beis HaChaim.
There is no kosher food in Holešov — not in the hotels and not in the shops. Bring it along from Vienna, Prague or Kraków, and ask the hotel about a fridge.
There is no kehilla and no minyan in Holešov. Come with a minyan, or ask the vaad whether a group is going.
Health Insurance
Medicare doesn't pay abroad, and many American insurance plans don't either. In a Czech hospital a foreigner pays out of pocket, often up front. And if, chas v'shalom, you need an air ambulance home, it costs between $20,000 and $200,000.
Czech law requires every foreigner to carry proof of medical insurance that covers hospital care and treatment.
- 1Ask your insurance whether it covers you in Europe — and how much.
- 2If not, buy travel insurance with medical evacuation. It costs very little next to a hospital bill.
- 3Keep the policy and the insurer's emergency number with you — on your phone and on paper. The card below has a space for it.
Sources: the Czech consulate · US State Department
Taxis2
- Bezva Taxi HolešovTaxi · Marek VykoukalAlso drives to the airports: Vienna, Prague, Brno, Ostrava
- TAXI NONSTOPTaxi · Jiří ŠtoplFrom the town’s business directory
Hotels3
- Hotel TaclHotel ★★★ · in the centreFree parking
- Hotel Panský PivovarHotel ★★★★ · in an old building in the centreReception answers Mon–Fri 7–15, Sat–Sun 8–15
- Penzion HanaGuesthouse · 8 rooms900–2,100 Kč a night · cash only · free parking
Emergency3
- 112Emergency anywhere in Europe — English spokenAmbulance 155 · Police 158
- Kroměřížská nemocniceHospital in Kroměříž · about 15 km
- Krajská nemocnice T. BatiThe region’s main hospital, in Zlín · about 20 km
Shopping2
- Dr. MaxPharmacyPalackého 545, Holešov500 m · 8 min walk
- AlbertSupermarket — water, fruit, vegetablesTovární 511, Holešov780 m · 12 min walk
Information3
- VratislavThe shul, the Mikvah and the Beis HaChaimCall a day ahead
- The VaadTziyun HaShach — for any question
- MIC HolešovThe town’s information centre
Numbers are from the businesses themselves and from the town, October 2026. Call ahead — especially for a taxi to the airport.
The Shul of the Shach
Txllxt TxllxT (CC BY-SA 4.0), Jitka Erbenová (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
The old shul of Holešov carries the name of the Shach, who was Rav here, to this day — the town calls it “Šachova synagoga”. It was rebuilt after the fire of 1560, and stands barely 70 metres from the Beis HaChaim.
In the middle stands the bimah: eight-sided, enclosed by a wrought-iron railing with a tall crown. The walls and the vault are painted with flowers, animals and long tefillos in loshon kodesh — painted between 1725 and 1737, in the “Polish” style. According to the town, it is the only shul of its kind that has kept its original form.
Upstairs, in the ezras nashim, is now a town museum: “The Jews in Moravia”. In a room of its own lie sefarim of the Shach — old printings the town bought at auctions — under a painted wooden ceiling from 1737. The shul is not used for davening today.
When It’s Open
- May – SeptemberTuesday – Sunday · closed Monday
- April, OctoberShabbos and Sunday only
- November – MarchGroups of 10 or more only, booked ahead
You go in with a tour, every hour:
Entry: 120 Kč · children, students and seniors 70 Kč · under 6 free
The vaad says: call Vratislav a day ahead — it is also the number the town gives for bookings.
+420 603 796 411Per the town of Holešov, 2026
Kivrei Tzaddikim Nearby
Many combine the Shach with other holy places in Moravia and around. Distances and times are by car from Holešov, without traffic.
Hours change by season — call ahead. Nearly all are closed on Shabbos and Yom Tov.
- BoskovitzBoskovice93km· 1½ hours
- The Machatzis HaShekel — Rabbi Shmuel HaLevi Kolin
The key is given by the town’s information centre.
- NikolsburgMikulov127km· 1½ hours
- Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg
- Rabbi Mordechai Banet
- The “Rabbonim’s Hill” — the Rabbonim of Nikolsburg and Moravia
Open: July–September daily 10–18; June Tue–Sun 10–17; April–May Fri–Sun and October Sat–Sun 10–16. Otherwise — call.
- PressburgBratislava204km· about 2½ hours
- The Chasam Sofer
By booking only, at least 48 hours ahead, with a guide. Kohanim have a separate place behind glass.
- PraguePraha285km· about 3 hours
- The Maharal — in the old Beis HaChaim (Josefov)
- The Noda BiYehuda — in the Žižkov Beis HaChaim
The Maharal: with a Jewish Museum ticket. The Noda BiYehuda: Sun–Thu 9–16, Fri 9–14, free.
- KrakówKraków277km· about 3 hours
- The Rema
- The Bach
- The Tosfos Yom Tov
- The Megaleh Amukos
In the Rema’s Beis HaChaim, Szeroka 40, by the Rema shul.
Pocket Guide for Your Journey
Print on an A4 sheet, cut along the dashed lines and fold on the middle line. The zmanim are for the day you picked above.
The phone image stacks both sides — good for the lock screen or gallery, no printer needed. PDF: in the print window, choose “Save as PDF” instead of a printer.
Shul: May–Sep Tue–Sun · Apr, Oct Sun (and Sat) only · tours: 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16
- Vratislav: Call a day ahead; he opens the Beis HaChaim.
- The gate: Hankeho 260, hard to find. The Tziyun is at the back.
- Water: A bottle and a cup in the car — may be off in winter.
- Food & minyan: None in Holešov — bring what you need.
- Money: Koruna (Kč). At a machine choose “CZK”, not dollars.
- Parking: Hankeho and Příční are not paid parking.
Lay a Brick
by the Shach
Every dollar becomes a brick in the building beside the Tziyun — a place where Jews will learn, daven, and rest, and where Kohanim will finally be able to stand before the Shach. The zechus remains yours for generations. Your receipt arrives right away by email.
For a dedication or any question: 347.389.2180
Tax ID 39-3019992