22 October 2010

New York: Slovakia's Jewish Heritage Route, Nov. 1

Dr. Maroš Borský launched, in 2007, the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route.

It links 24 important Jewish heritage sites around Slovakia, including synagogues, Museum of Jewish culture branches, historic Jewish cemeteries, Holocaust memorials and Jewish history.

He will speak about the current project at 2pm, on Monday, November 1, at the Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th Street, New York, NY.

Learn more about the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route and see the interactive map for more information.

The project is complex, and includes research, educational and promotional activities, all aimed at preservation of Jewish heritage in Slovakia. Activities are based on results of the Synagoga Slovaca documentation project of synagogues (2001-2006). This survey (including architectural plans, photographs, descriptions) was used to create an audience for Jewish culture in Slovakia, shape cultural policies and contribute towards better management of Jewish heritage sites.

There is an extensive section on Jewish history of the area, including the following:

... While evidence exists of Jewish migration to the territory of today's Slovakia from Bohemia, Austria, and Germany in the 11th century, and of the founding of the first Jewish community in Bratislava (Pressburg, Pozsony) in the late 13th century, the migrations and settlements of the 17th and 18th centuries had the most significant impact on the subsequent development of the Jewish community. Encouraged by the Hungarian aristocracy, Jews migrating to northern Hungary from Moravia, Galicia and Bukovina, and Lower Austria tended to settle near the borders of the states from which they had come, and to maintain religious, communal, and linguistic ties with Jewish communities across the borders. ...
Admission is free, but reservations are required.

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