Chevra Bikur Cholim Synagogue

The Chevra Bikur Cholim Synagogue is an example of a well-preserved prewar synagogue in Slovakia. Its interior furnishings are fully intact, including prayer books and other Jewish artifacts. The synagogue was established in 1929 by the Chevra Bikur Cholim, a Jewish charitable association. It is located in the city center near the market square.The eastern façade of this simple building faces the street. It features two large, pointed windows and a Hebrew inscription with the name of the association. On the right side ofthe building is a long corridor that provides access to all of the building´s rooms: the prayer hall, a back room that was once used as a study and istoday filled with remaining Hebrew books, a staircase to the women´s gallery and an entrance to the backyard. There are also remnants of a wooden sukkah (hut). The Chevra Bikur Cholim is Bardejov’s only synagogue that was not violated and that remained fully intact during the war thanks to efforts of local citizen Maria Koperniechova, who lived in the synagogue. She bricked up the windows to hide the synagogue’s appearance and refused entry to soldiers or guardsmen. After the war and up until his death in 2005, Mr. Meyer Spira, one of the last Jewish residents of Bardejov, maintained the building and prayed in its sanctuary. In 2012, the Bardejov Jewish Preservation Committee recognized Meyer Spira posthumously for his work in maintaining and caring for the synagogue. The Committee also recognized Mrs. Koperniechova with a “Righteous of Bardejov” award for saving the synagogue during the Nazi occupation.The synagogue is currently maintained by the Federation of Jewish Communities in Slovakia. The Chevra Bikur Synagogue is a cultural monument listed under the number 1743/1 in the Central Register of the Cultural Monuments of the Slovak Republic.

Address: Klastorska 10, 085 01 Bardejov