On 9 September 2022, Slovakia commemorated its Memorial Day for Victims of the Holocaust and of Racial Violence.
Established in 2001 by the Slovak Parliament, the day marks the date in 1941 when the Slovak government issued a decree on the legal status of Jews, the so-called the Jewish Codex.
The Codex led to deportations which resulted in the murder of approximately 70,000 Slovak Jews. The Jewish Codex contained some of the strictest anti-Jewish measures in all of Europe.
Organized by the Slovak Jewish communities and the Slovak National Museum – Museum of Jewish Culture, this year’s commemoration ceremony was held on the grounds of the Central Holocaust Memorial in Bratislava.
The event was attended by Holocaust survivors, the Slovak president Zuzana Čaputová, Chairman of the National Council of the Slovak Republic Boris Kollár, and the Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger.
As last year, additional events – such as the Reading of the names of the victims of the Holocaust – were held in towns throughout Slovakia. These included commemorations, exhibitions, conferences, seminars, lectures, and cultural and educational events in schools, libraries, and institutions.
