Days of Jewish Culture
Giraltovce, Sept.2009
By Eng. Gabi Lana
The reconstructed Jewish
Cemetery of Giraltovce
THE OPENING.
According to tradition, the Days of Jewish Culture opened with an art exhibition. This time it was the well known painter Tuvia Beeri born in Topolcany. He is one of the leading modern painters in Israel. His aim is to spread beauty and to arouse good feelings in people through his art.
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HISTORY AND ART.
On the first evening, the distinguished guests were welcomed. Among them the Bulgarian ambassador Ognian Garkov. He presented valuable information regarding the standpoint of Bulgaria towards the deportation of the Bulgarian Jews in WW II. The highest synod of the pravoslavic Church objected already in 1940 to the deportation of the Jewish citizens. In the past, when the Bulgarians were in a similar situation, the pravoslavic ecclesiastical establishment offered them shelter in their churches. Even the Tzar Boris III demanded from the government to stop all the anti-Jewish atrocities and in May 1943 the government accepted the Tzar`s demands. In fact, Bulgaria and Denmark were the only two European states that saved their fellow citizens from the Holocaust. He finished with a warning: "We should be careful because barbarism and extremism are appearing again!"
The words of professor Pavel Mestan, director of the Jewish Cultural Museum, acted like a cold shower. He said: “The Slovak states, although not occupied by the Germans, paid for each deported Jew DM 500.- In 1942 58667 Jews were deported and by the end of the war the number of deportees raised to 70 thousand. Only Croatia behaved similarly, they paid DM 300 for each deported Jew.
Professor Mestan gave the Primator (Mayor) of Giraltovce Jan Rubis the highest Jewish medal in Slovakia, the medal of Chaim Sofer. Sofer was one of the most important rabbis who lived and was buried in Bratislava.
MONODRAMA
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On Monday evening the monodrama "Time of Barches", written by Viola Kovacova, was played by Eva Hlavacova. Eva is a member of the theatre of Nitra. This piece deals with the last days of the Jewish community in Svaty Jur , the relations with the non-Jewish part of the community and with the reaction to Tonca`s return after the war. |
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YOUTH PARTICIPATION.
On Tuesday morning the primary school pupils and the secondary school students filled the big hall of the Town Hall. The Bulgarian ambassador Ognion Garkov continued the lecture of the previous day. He added that after 1948 only a small portion of the relatively rich community remained in Bulgaria. Most of them left for Israel. This occurred because the pro-Soviet government refused to restitute the property confiscated from them during the war.
Fully booked lecture with curious
youth
There is an organization that takes care to perpetuate the h e r i t a g e of the Jews and warns against various forms of nationalism and chauvinism. The new followers of Hitler use the number 18 to identify themselves. This is instead of A and H (1 + 8).
The next speaker was Wladyslav Tabacz member of the OSP RP in Warsaw. The subject of his research was Jews in PKR. The lecture was handed out as a paper.
THE LAYING OF WREATHS.
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Tuesday morning got a festive character due to the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister SR Dusan Caplovic. At the ceremony of laying the wreaths a sad music was played by teachers from the art school. The first wreath was laid by the deputy Prime Minister, followed by ambassador Ognian Garkov, in the name of the Israeli ambassador Chaim Levy, wujt (Chairman of the Regional Council) Gminy Wielopole Skrzynskie Czeslav Leja, and the primator of Giraltovce Jan Rubis.
Dusan Pavlovic expressed his thanks and admiration to our town for this enterprise. Standing in the Jewish cemetery he said: "This is a place breathing with history. A place where you can read as from a chronicle. A chronicle of a community, but also a chronicle of this town." He warned:" Again there are trends wanting a rule of terror such as was already in Slovakia. Those who are unable to learn from the past, will be forced to have it again. The cruel fate of our citizens during the Holocaust must be a warning against to where hatred and lack of tolerance can lead."
The primator Jan Rubis expressed his thanks by presenting a placard to Dusan Caplovic for taking the enterprise under his auspices, to Pavel Mestan for granting his special advises, to Peter Kimak Fejko for the organization, and to the Embassy of Israel for taking part in the organization. |
PRESSBURGER KLEZMER BAND.
This group of young musicians and singers had the biggest audience because of the excellent reputation they have. Their name originates from the east-European Jewish folk music to which they added a mixture of different styles.
The Klezmer concert
MEMORIAL INAUGURATION.
On Wednesday afternoon the last part of this year`s enterprise took place. It was the official inauguration of the Memorial Wall. The architect Milan Vesely succeeded in creating a dignified, impressive monument for the victims of Hitler`s atrocities. On the monument are engraved the names of 42 Jewish families. As Peter Kimak Fejko said: "They were here as part of the town, but a moment came and everything changed."
Deputy Prime Minister SR Dusan Caplovic expresses his gratitude
Tanya Sternson welcomed Gabi Lana, born in Giraltovce and Yossi Klafter son of a previous G. citizen. Both had an unexpected luck when they found the graves and the gravestones of their grandmothers. They also collected money through the internet, phone calls etc. to enable the planning and the erecting of the Memorial Wall.
Gabi Lana said Kadish at the just inaugurated Memorial Wall.
Gabi saying Kadish
The last descendants of the Giraltovce community who still live there, the brothers Jozef and Miroslav Deutsch lost their father Eugen (Jankel) 15 years ago. They prayed silently remembering him.
Rabbi Jossi Steiner concluded the ceremonies by reading Psalms.
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Last updated Jan 26th, 2010
