Zilina is a town in northwest Slovakia. An organized Jewish community was formed in 1852, and the first synagogue was built in 1861. There were about 3,500 Jews living in the town prior to the start of World War II. During the war, the Slovak Fascist government established a transit camp at Zilina which served as a jump off point to the extermination camps in Poland. Very few Jews remain today.
The Jews of Zilina belonged, primarily, to the Hungarian Neolog Reform movement. In 1931, a new synagogue was completed which was an outstanding example of a style that existed in the years around 1930 in which geometric shapes and large stretches of plain wall reflected forms found in other types of buildings. Reform Jews, such as the Zilina community, were eager to show their progressiveness through contemporary architectural styles. The synagogue is depicted in the postcard below which was postmarked in 1936. The synagogue is now used as a college.
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD-Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
Carole Herselle Krinsky, Synagogues of Europe, P.302-09
Copyright © 1998-2001 Edward Victor