THE TRADITIONS of the Jewish community are mapped by the Encyclopaedia of Jewish Religious Communities in Slovakia whose fourth volume was issued by Judaica Slovaca, the publishing house of the Museum of Jewish Culture, part of the Slovak National Museum (SNM).
This last volume maps the communities whose names begin with U through Ž. The museum also plans to release a bonus in the form of a local register. Though every volume of the encyclopaedia has its own register of names, this one should simplify the search for readers, the SITA newswire reported.
Aside from historical facts, the encyclopaedia also contains photos of the Jewish communities. It answers the question of how many Jews were living in Slovak towns and villages.
“On the background of this information people will realise what the Holocaust caused, what the people were like and how they could have enriched Slovakia,” said head of the Museum of Jewish Culture Pavol Mešťan, as quoted by SITA. He added that although the Holocaust and World War II were only a small part of the history of the Jewish communities, they in fact meant its end.
The encyclopaedia does not focus on cemeteries and synagogues, though the texts mention them, but brings a comprehensive view of the life of every community from the towns and villages where they lived. The aim is to bring back the names of the Jews who lived there, Mešťan said, as reported by SITA.
The book was prepared by well-known Israeli historian of Slovak origin Róbert J. Büchler who came from Topoľčany. He, however, died shortly after the discussion over the Slovak version of the encyclopaedia had ended.
The book is issued by the Museum of Jewish Culture in cooperation with Yad Vashem Museum and The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority. The original in the language Hebrew was published in 2003, SITA wrote.
