The Jewish Community of Slovakia | Web Site |
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DemographyThe majority of Slovak Jews live in Bratislava, the capital, but there are also Jewish communities in Kosice, Presov, Piestany, Nowy Zamky, and other towns. Most Jews are more than 70 years old, as intermarriage has taken a heavy toll. Yet in recent years, many younger people have rediscovered their Jewish origins, injecting new life into the remnant of Slovak Jewry. HistoryFor close to a millennium, Slovakia was an integral part of Hungary, and the history of its Jewish community is tied to that of Hungarian Jewry. Slovak Jewry included Chassidim, proponents of religious Orthodoxy, and Neolog reformers. On the eve of the dissolution of independent Czechoslovakia in 1939, there were some 150,000 Jews in Slovakia (nearly twice the number of those in the neighboring Czech lands). The government of independent Slovakia orchestrated the deportation of Slovak Jews to German death camps in Poland (paying the Germans 500 marks per head for the privilege), and in Hungarian-occupied south Slovakia, the Hungarian authorities played a similar role. Only 25,000 Jews survived the Holocaust, and many of these elected to emigrate immediately after the war. The Jewish community was reestablished, but it gradually shrank due to aging, emigration, and assimilation. CommunityThe Federation of Jewish Communities in Slovakia is the major communal organization. Anti-Semitism, long concealed beneath the surface, has re-emerged as a serious problem. Culture and EducationThere are Talmud Torahs in Bratislava and in Kosice-the home of most Slovak Jewish youth. The JDC and the Lauder Foundation are active in sponsoring cultural activities geared toward young people. Religious LifeThere are synagogues in a number of Slovak towns and rabbis in Bratislava and Kosice. Kosher meat is produced locally, and there are kosher restaurants in Bratislava and Kosice. Religious observance is increasing, and even some children of mixed marriages are returning to the community and studying Judaism. IsraelUntil 1991 aliya from Slovakia was subsumed under Czechoslovakia. SitesSlovakia has many interesting sites of Jewish interest, including numerous synagogues and burial grounds in various states of disrepair. Outstanding among them is the underground mausoleum in Bratislava, which contains the resting places of 18 renowned rabbis. These include Moshe Sofer Schreiber, known as the Chatam Sofer. Sofer, who lived in the 19th century, was a radical opponent of the Enlightenment. In part, thanks to his efforts, Bratislava (then known by its German name, Pressburg) became the intellectual heart of Austro-Hungarian Orthodox Jewry, and children from throughout the Empire were sent to its great yeshiva. A Jewish museum has been opened in Bratislava. ContactFederation of Jewish Communities in Slovakia
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