Canada
Slovakia Travel and Destination Guide
MUSEUM OF JEWISH CULTURE
Židovská 17
Bratislava
Tel: 5441 8507 ()
The excellent Museum of Jewish Culture (Múzeum Židovskej Kultúry) is in the grounds of Bratislava Castle. Displays on the history and culture of the region's much-persecuted Jews are in English and are deeply moving. Black-and-white photos show Bratislava's old Jewish ghetto and synagogue, which were demolished in the 1960s.
The staff can help arrange a visit to rabbi Chatam Sofer's tomb. Rabbi Sofer was a staunch defender of traditional Judaism and against Reform practices. His tomb became a pilgrimage place, especially for Orthodox Jews from all over Europe. During the Nazi occupation the cemetery was basically buried under rubble, but his tomb has a new memorial entrance and is now Slovakia's most important Jewish site.
Web: http://www.chatamsofer.com
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