Jewish Cemetery

The place of eternal rest of members of Bardejov‘s Jewish community is located on Ludovit Stur Street. The cemetery is an area measuring 654 m2 square metres mostly of grassland, upon which 1,288 tombstones from the 18th to 20th century are located. The oldest portion of the cemetery is located in the north near a small stream. The rows of graves are separated for women and men, and most of them have an arched top. With the passage of time, the writing on many of them has faded and become difficult to read. A characteristic feature of the cemetery was the colourful decoration of the tombstones – alternately yellow, green, blue, red, red-blue, red-white, yellow-blue and others. For the tombstones of the rabbis, a black colour with golden, yellow or green-yellow inscriptions was used. Their colourful appearance was unique and was influenced by the culture of Galicia. In all likelihood, this habit was established by the Halberstam rabbinic dynasty, which originated in the Polish city of Nowy Sącz. At one time, tombstones were decorated with coloured, symbolic motifs of animals (lions, deer, birds, unicorns), crowns or candlesticks. On the tombstones of younger people, motifs of willows and Stars of David were used. Many stones have images of blessing hands, symbolizing the Tribe of Cohen and jars, symbolizing the Tribe of Levi. In the center of the cemetery stands a building (ohel) where Rabbi Moshe (1848 – 1903), his wife Rachel Feiga and their son Rabbi Jechiel Nathan (1866 – 1934) Halberstam are buried. From 2005 to 2009 a gradual restoration of the tombstones took place, along with construction of a new fence and reconstruction of the ohel, thanks to the support of descendants of the Bardejov Jewish Community and the HJPC Avoyseinu foundation for the preservation of Jewish cemeteries. Currently the cemetery is in good condition. The Federation of Jewish Commnunities in Slovakia ensures its regular maintenance through a local administrator.

Address: Ludovit Stur St., 085 01 Bardejov