Bratislava was the capital of Slovakia. As of December, 1940, it had a Jewish population of about 15,000. Bratislava's port was the departure point for several illegal immigration boats that sailed to Palestine. During the end of 1941 and the beginning of 1942, about half of the Jewish population was moved out of the city to camps which became deportation centers to the east. Many of the remaining Jews fled the city prior to its takeover by the Germans in September, 1944. By the time of liberation by the Soviets in April, 1945, only a few Jews were left.
Below are the thumbnails of the front and back of a cover dated March 20, 1941, from the Ustredna Zidov (the central Jewish Organization) to the HICEM office in Santiago, Chile. HICEM was a Jewish emigration association which operated offices in all major European cities during this period. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Cover" in the left frame to return.
Below are thumbnails of a postcard dated August 19, 1942 from Bratslava to the Judenrat in Lublin for further transmittal to an E. Klopstock who had been deported to Lublin on a transport from Zilina, Slovakia (a major transportation center) on April 14, 1942. Attached is a stamped reply card to Bratslava which was never used. The card contains a German language cachet indicating that mail must go through the Judenrat in Bratslava. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Postcard" in the left frame to return.
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD-Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
Spector, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust (2001), P. 182-84
Copyright © 2003 Edward Victor