Bardejov possessed a large Jewish quarter where some 5,000 Jews lived before World War II. This small medieval city of 35,000 inhabitants lies thirty-seven miles north of Presov, near the Polish border. Most of Bardejov’s Jewish community was wiped out during the war.

Despite the devastations of the war and postwar reconstruction, a few houses and an interesting eighteenth-century Polish-style synagogue remain. It was restored in 2011. Visit the website Bardejov Jewish Preservation for more information about Bardejov.

The Jewish presence in Bardejov probably dates back to the 13th century. But it was not until the 18th century that the community developed. In particular, it became an important centre of Hasidism, with the rabbis of the Halberstam dynasty.

The large synagogue was built in 1830. The Jews worked mainly in the export of wine to Poland and in crafts, and played an active part in the economic development of Bardejov and its spa. More than 2,000 Jews lived in Bardejov in 1930 and a large number of them perished in the following decade during the Holocaust.

The town became a rehabilitation centre for survivors and a transit point for aliyah before Israel’s independence. Most Jews emigrated gradually. Ritual objects from Bardejov are preserved in the Divré Ḥayim synagogue in Jerusalem, named after Rabbi Ḥayim Halberstam, the founder of the Bardejovian Sanz dynasty.

Jack Garfein, who was born in the Ukrainian town of Moukachevo but grew up in Bardejov, devoted a film to his return to Bardejov, recounting in particular how he had survived the Holocaust. He went on to become a theatre teacher, producer and one of the most important directors of the post-war period, thanks to the cult films The Strange One (1957) and Something Wild (1961).

There’s also a Jewish cemetery in town.

Sources : Encyclopaedia Judaica