What is left over from the cemetery in Liptovský Mikuláš

Very little. According to what I heard, the Jewish cemetery was eliminated by the Communist government in the 1950s. Apparently, it took quite some time until the graveyard was actually destroyed to make place for apartment buildings and a large park. The buildings surrounding the park seem from the 1970s. It seems in 2025, a […]

Liptovský Mikuláš

is a town of about 30.000, located in the north of Slovakia in a valley enclosed to the north and to the south by the Tatra mountains. When the communists grabbed power after WW2, they changed the original name from Liptovský Svätý Mikuláš (“Liptovský Saint Nicholas”) by striking out the “Saint”. In 2026, Wikipedia (en) […]

The Shut-down and renovated Synagogue of Trenčín, Slovakia

One hot day in August 2020 we came to Trenčín, a small but beautiful town inhabited by around 55.000, near the Czech border in north-eastern Slovakia. Right at the center you will find the fabulous Synagogue. It was built in 1913 on the site of an older wooden Synagogue. Wikipedia claimed that the building is […]

The Leo Frankel Synagogue in Buda

This past Shabbes, we visited the Neolog Leo Frankel Shul near the western banks of Budapest, also known as Buda. Not only was it closest to where we were staying, but also some dear friends recommended it to us warmly. And indeed we were welcomed graciously and took part in the tefillah. Women sit separately […]

Sopron (aka Ödenburg) and its Unaccessible Synagogues

We found three former Synagogues in the town of Sopron: the hidden one, the unrecognizable one, and the blocked one. The first one is the “Old Synagogue”. It is said to be a remnant of the first Jewish community in Sopron, that was driven out in 1526. It is built into a back yard and […]

The Circular Synagogue of Köszeg

In the year 5620, a certain Philip Schey donated 20.000 Forint (today’s equivalent of about 10 ice cream coffees) to build a most unusual synagogue. It is designed as a circle within a square, topped by a magnificent dome. On any day the space is filled with light from all sides. It is somewhat difficult […]

Sunday afternoon in Szombathely

It is blisteringly hot. Few people on the streets, most coffee houses are closed. On Rákóczi Ferenc utca, the main street leading to Batthyány Tér, a large square where the defunct Neolog Synagogue of Szombathely is located, components of wooden huts have been distributed on the sidewalks. This is in preparation to the Hungarian national holiday […]