The Slovak Jewish Heritage Center is a non-governmental and non-profit institute, established in

the spring 2006 as a joint-project of the Bratislava Jewish Community and the Jewish Heritage Foundation – Menorah, in Bratislava. The latter is our legal representative.

The broad scope of our activities includes: research, documentation and site monitoring, education, promotion and consulting, which leads to the Jewish heritage preservation in Slovakia.

Our professional team works within a modern cost-effective project-oriented management structure allowing us to take a pro-active stand responding to the global needs of endangered Jewish heritage in our country. The Center is an apolitical professional unit engaged in the heritage preservation in Slovakia. We are open to cooperation with any organization or individual, from Slovakia or abroad, provided that Slovak Jewish heritage will benefit from this activity.

Research and documentation

The Center researches Slovak Jewish Heritage, the synagogue architecture and other artifacts of the Jewish material culture in Slovakia. We processed the results of Synagoga Slovaca, the documentation project of the Slovak synagogue architecture. They are accessible to the general public via an online database at this site.

Aside to synagogue architecture, we document other built Jewish heritage, such as the former educational and other communal buildings, as well as cemetery chapels and selected cemeteries. We also return to the heritage sites that we previously documented and monitor their current situation.

Publications

We are preparing the publication of a richly illustrated volume “Synagogue Architecture in Slovakia”. The material is currently being completed for press and the book will be available in September 2007. The monograph will be a premier publication on Slovak synagogue architecture.

The Center prepares information leaflets about sites associated with the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route. These are an important tool to provide basic visitor information needed to gain access to the monuments. You will be soon able to download them in pdf format here.

Education and consulting

An important part of the Center’s work are educational and consulting activities in the area of Jewish heritage preservation. We assist to the Jewish Community of Bratislava and the Central Union of Jewish Communities in Slovakia, with our know-how.

We currently engage in the following projects: Jewish Community of Bratislava – long-term strategic

heritage sites management Heydukova Street synagogue restoration Cemetery chapel at the Orthodox cemetery restoration Management of the Judaica collection of the Bratislava

Jewish Community and preparing its exhibition.

Fundraising

We do not fundraise for any specific site, but are pleased to match a prospective benefactor with a suitable project in Slovakia. We assisted to Šamorín and Stupava synagogue restoration projects.