Slovakia: Work under way to install a permanent regional Jewish history & heritage exhibition in the restored synagogue in Senec

Work is under way to install a permanent exhibition on local Jewish history in the former synagogue in Senec, whose full-scale restoration has recently been completed.  

To be called “Jewish Heritage of the Bratislava Self-Governing Region,” the exhibition will be housed in the upper floor of the synagogue — in the women’s gallery and a room above the vestibule — and is expected to open later this year.

Using a variety of media, it will present the Jewish history of Senec as well as other major Jewish communities in the region, such as Bratislava, Stupava, Reca, Pezinok, and Svätý Jur. It will thus essentially function as a regional Jewish museum.

The exhibition’s concept and design is a result of research and curatorial work conducted by the Bratislava-based Jewish Cultural Institute in 2018-2021. The curatorial team is led by the Institute’s director Dr. Maroš Borský, a longtime specialist in Slovak Jewish history, heritage, and architecture and founding director in 2012 of the Bratislava Jewish Community Museum.

The exhibition concept, the synagogue web site states

was to create a sensible balance between using authentic, three-dimensional objects of Jewish heritage and modern multimedia presentations in order to present extensive data about Senec’s Jewish history, families and oral history, as well as data about other major Jewish communities in the region, including presentation of their monuments, synagogues and cemeteries.

The web site posts a detailed description of the exhibition’s features and setting, tailored to the limited space available. In formation texts will be in three languages — Slovak, Hungarian, and English.

The exhibition is divided into two sections: 

— the Community Hall. This will detail the history of the Senec Jewish community its and will be housed as a two-floor exhibit in the tall, narrow room over the synagogue vestibule. It includes objects, photos, a timeline, oral histories, wall projections, and other multimedia features that tell the story of the community and its members. It includes family photos provided by Jews living in  Israel, Australia, Canada, United States, the Netherlands and Bolivia, and also information the Holocaust deportation of  Senec Jews on May 10, 1944 — the assembly point was on the square in front of the synagogue.

Primarily, the exhibition is a memorial to the community that built, gathered and prayed in this synagogue, but that no longer remains.

— the Heritage Gallery, in the former women’s gallery.  This will focus on the history and heritage of major Jewish communities in the Bratislava Region. It consists of six showcases and two info-kiosks with multimedia presentations, placed in between the windows of the sanctuary. Authentic Judaica objects  present various themes of Jewish life, and two info-kiosks provide detailed information on them and also present extensive documentation of Jewish heritage such as synagogues and cemeteries.

The data is interconnected. For example, two Shabbat candlesticks are exhibited, based on which the visitor will learn, from the multimedia presentation: what the Shabbat holiday is, who the owners of the candlesticks were, and what happened to them. In addition, the visitor will learn about the history of the local Jewish community thanks to a presentation about the synagogue and the cemetery.

The exhibit is aimed at local, national and international audiences, with or without Jewish background, the web site says. It will be included into the educational activities for secondary schools, but also is aimed at attracting tourists.

The remains of the mikvah and matzo bakery are also incorporated into the complex.

The restoration of the long-derelict synagogue kicked off in May 2018, funded by the Bratislava Self-Governing Region, following an agreement under which Slovakia’s  Federation of Jewish Communities transferred ownership of the building to the region.

The reconstruction included both the interior and exterior of the synagogue, which was built in the last part of the 19th century and stood vacant and derelict for decades after being used for storage after WW2. Listed as a cultural monument, it stands in a prominent spot on a main street.

During the restoration, workers discovered the foundations of the bimah.

In addition the permanent exhibition, the restored synagogue will serve as a multifaceted cultural center.

Read full details about the Senec exhibition and synagogue restoration (in English)