Nové Zámky, Synagogue

The Orthodox synagogue survives intact and is still used as a Jewish house of worship. Located on the eastern side of the former town fortress, the synagogue forms part of a Jewish communal compound. It is considered a local heritage site, and the neo-Romanesque façade is illuminated at night. The original interior has been preserved, with the bimah placed strictly in the center and the women’s gallery supported by cast-iron columns along three sides of the sanctuary. In 1992, a plaque designed by Michal Kern was unveiled on the outer wall, and in 1999 the Jewish community installed 19 plaques in the synagogue interior, listing 2,300 Holocaust victims. One memorial plaque is dedicated to the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved thousands of Jews in Budapest. The town’s Holocaust memorial was erected by the municipality in a park located next to the synagogue.

Until 1840, when the town opened fully for Jewish settlement, Jews were permitted to attend local markets but were not allowed to stay overnight. Once the residency ban was lifted, the community developed quickly and by 1869 numbered 1,205 Jews. At first, the Nové Zámky community was served by the rabbinate in Šurany. Later, these ties were broken, and the community joined the Neolog movement. In the wake of these developments, the traditionalist minority established a separate Orthodox congregation and built its own synagogue in 1880. About 2,500 Jews lived in Nové Zámky in 1938, when the city was occupied by Hungary. In May 1944 the Nazis established a ghetto there, where Jews were concentrated. Two transports left the city for Auschwitz on June 10-12, 1944. The Neolog synagogue was by during wartime bombing and was later razed.