2020 Holocaust Memorial Ceremony |
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Our very first ever live virtual Holocaust Memorial Ceremony took place on September 8th, in Bardejov’s Jewish Suburbia. The event was broadcast live via ‘Zoom’ and ‘Facebook Live’, while around 50 guests also attended in person. |
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Many Bardejovers and friends from around the world tuned in for the live event, which drew approximately 1,700 viewers. Our post-event participation has been exceptional as well, as the video has since been viewed over 5,000 times. Among the 50 guests who personally attended the event were Mr. Vladimír Savčinský – Vice-Mayor of Bardejov, Mr. Cyril Bogoľ – caretaker of Bikur Cholim Synagogue in Bardejov, and his wife, representatives of the City of Bardejov, and the principal of Leonard Stockel High School accompanied by numerous students.
The event was narrated live from the Old Synagogue in both Slovak and English, while our guests and other event participants gathered at the Holocaust Memorial. The ceremony began with our customary lighting of the candles by Leonard Stockel high-school students, which took place in front of the name tablets inside the Memorial.
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Live performances via ‘Zoom’ and pre-recorded videos followed, beginning with the Kaddish prayer recited by Daniel Yehuda. After the Kaddish prayer, Robert Mogyoros, son-in-law of Mr. Emil A. Fish, sung the Jewish remembrance prayer “El Maleh Rachamim” (“God full of Compassion”), followed by one minute of silence. |
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The event continued with our introductory video about Bardejov Jewish Preservation Committee, which included an overview of all the projects we have worked on and completed since the establishment of BJPC in 2006. After the video, viewers watched a speech recorded by Mr. Emil A. Fish. His speech was particularly impressive and touching as Mr. Fish reminded us all of the important lessons learned from the Holocaust. |
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Mr. Daniel Yehuda, a descendant of the Grussgott family of Bardejov, put together a wonderful slideshow in honor of his relatives, with the song Shuvi Nafsi playing in the background.
This year’s speakers included H.E. Brigitte A. Brink – US Ambassador in Slovakia, Ms. Naomi Eldar – DCM and Consul of Israel in Slovakia, and Dr. Boris Hanuščák – Mayor of Bardejov, who all had very inspiring and positive words to share.
Beautiful musical performances by Leonard Stockel high-school students were played in between speeches. They included a performance of the song “Mi Bon Siach” by student Júlia Pillarová, the composition ‘Israeli Concertino Nocturne’ by George Perlman played on the piano by student Miroslava Gavalová, and a Slovak song by Martin Harich sung by Hana and Katarina Molčanová, which concluded the event.
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We are beyond grateful for all the assistance and support we had in organizing the event. Fruitful cooperation with the City of Bardejov and the Vita in Suburbium organization allowed us to prepare a successful event which presented us with an interesting challenge, we hope that it was an enjoyable experience for all. Despite the current global situation, we were still able to continue our annual tradition of honoring and remembering the Jewish families of Bardejov while respecting all the recommendations and regulations concerning the Covid-19 pandemic, and this means a lot to us.
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(All photos courtesy of Mr. Ferdinand Hazlinsky) |
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The event was also covered by local Bardejov TV stations: |
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Ambassador of Israel in Slovakia visits the Jewish Suburbia |
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On September 14th, 2020, the Embassy of Israel in Slovakia planned an official visit to Eastern Slovakian heritage sites, and one of the sites on their program was Bardejov’s Jewish Suburbia. Newly-appointed Ambassador, H.E. Boaz Modai, arrived to Slovakia in August, 2019 and was visiting Bardejov for the first time.
His Excellency, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Tamar Natan, Honorary Consul Peter Frajt and PR Manager Dominika Dobrovičová, arrived to Bardejov from Prešov where they had spent the morning visiting their Jewish Synagogue and meeting representatives of the City and the Jewish Community.
The visit started in the Holocaust Memorial where the City of Bardejov’s Mayor, Boris Hanuščak, arrived for a brief meet and greet. Next, they continued to the excavation site where the Ambassador, very keen on archaeology himself, was presented with the project’s aim and the findings from previous excavation research. Afterwards, they continued to the Mikvah, followed by a visit to the recently restored 110-year old boiler, and then to Beith HaMidrash. The need for further restoration was emphasized.
After the visit of the restored Old Synagogue, the delegates continued for a brief visit to the square and then rushed off to their next program taking place in Košice, where they were expected by the local Mayor for their evening program.
Both the Ambassador and his wife expressed their will to return soon. They offered their gratitude for all the efforts made to restore the Jewish suburbia in a City where there is no living Jewish community left. The Honorary Consul, Peter Frajt, who was returning to the site for the second time, was pleased and surprised to see the progress, motivation and will to continue with future projects, grant proposals and investments.
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Meet Dan Haumschild: our new Executive Director |
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The Bardejov Jewish Preservation Committee is excited to announce the hiring of Dr. Dan Haumschild as its new Executive Director.
Dr. Haumschild comes to BJPC from the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center (HERC) in Milwaukee, WI where he served as the Director of Education. At HERC, Dr. Haumschild was pivotal in the development of programming that helped the organization expand dramatically—from an annual audience of 18,000 to nearly 30,000 in the three years of his service.
Key to his success is his capacity to build strong partnerships that inspire creative collaboration. His field of academic expertise is collective memory and public history, with a specific focus on how communities respond to historical trauma. Therefore, his enthusiasm for working with BJPC is incredibly high and he looks forward to contributing to the ongoing success of the organization. Dan lives in Milwaukee, WI with his wife and daughter and they await the arrival of a baby boy in December.
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The Samuel Grüssgott and Rebeka Friedmann Family |
Samuel, a teacher at the Jewish School of Bardejov, was born in Chynadiyovo, Ukraine. His wife, Rebeka, and their children were born in Bardejov. The family lived on Hlinkovo Square. They were issued an exemption and were not deported.
In approximately May 1944, Abrahám, his brother Nátan, and his father Samuel were moved to Zlaté Moravce in the Western sector of Slovakia. When the Soviet Army was nearing the Eastern sector, Abrahám decided to return to Bardejov using forged papers he received from Zalman Leib Unger. Abrahám went into hiding in Bardejov. He stayed there until September 1944 when the last remaining Jews were deported and went to Hrabske where Dr. Weiss and her husband were hiding. But in mid-November, some of the local villagers informed on them and they were caught and taken to jail in Bardejov and from there to Presov. On the fourth day there, they were able to escape and with the help of Adam Bomba and others, Abrahám was able to return to Bardejov and go into hiding once more.
Meanwhile, Samuel, Rebeka, Ida, Serena, and Helena were eventually deported. They had been using forged papers that Samuel had hoped would keep them safe but on December 20, 1944, Samuel was caught and imprisoned in Bystrica. He perished one day later but not before writing out a will that a guard smuggled out and gave to his son Nátan. Rebeka, Ida, Serena, and Helena also perished. Abrahám and Nátan survived. After the war Nátan immigrated to Israel but, sadly, was killed in a traffic accident in 1947. In the pocket of his jacket was found the will his father had written before he perished.
Abrahám was one of seven Jews to emerge from the cellars in Bardejov on the eve of liberation January 19-20, 1945. The others were Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Kurtz, Zalman Leib Unger, Eta Abrahamowitz, Leibish Friedman, and Moishe Neuman. Abrahám spent time after the war collecting documents, photos, and other materials that were compiled into a tribute book for Jewish Bardejov´s lost community, Bardejov Remembered: A Memorial to the Jewish Community of Bardejov, Czechslovakia 1734-1945, self-published in 1988. His father’s will is a part of the tribute book. Abrahám immigrated to the United States and married Nelly. They had two sons and two daughters. Abrahám died in 2003.
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Abraham Grussgott's Wedding |
You may read more about Bardejov's Jewish families in our Memorial Book of Jewish Bardejov |
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Don't forget to send us your photos and documents for inclusion in our new publication! We are slowly narrowing down our selections for the book and would love to receive any more submissions before making our final decisions.
If you have any photos or documents to provide, please reply to this email, or you may also call us at 626-773-8808.
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Our mission is to preserve Bardejov’s Jewish Heritage, memorialize and honor Bardejov Holocaust victims, and conduct educational outreach to school and community groups to teach tolerance and diversity. The Bardejov Jewish Preservation Committee is not funded by any grants and depends solely on the support of generous individuals. |
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TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT BJPC:
If you have any friends, or know of someone who may be interested in our organization, please invite them to fill out our mailing list request form so that they can receive updates and information from us.
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350 Cordova Street, Pasadena CA 91101; 626.773.8808;
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