LENDAVA | Slovenia | International Jewish Cemetery Project

Lendava (formerly Dolnja Lendava; Hungarian: Lendva, formerly Alsólendva; German: Lindau, formerly Unter-Limbach, Prekmurian Dolenja Lendava) is a town and a municipality in the region of Prekmurje and close to the border crossing with Hungary at Dolga vas-Rédics. Roadside urban area located on the sunny terrace under the Lendava hills along the main road Cakovec (the border with the connector roads Murska Sobota - Dobrovnik - Lendava and Murska Sobota - Bratonci - Lendava). Hungarian is one of the official languages of the municipality, along with Slovene. Lendava was a district (Hungarian: járás) of Zala in the Kingdom of Hungary until 1918 and returned to Hungary again from 1941 to 1945. The first census of the 18th century century mentions two Jewish merchants (Imenje Lebli Marx and Marx Jakab). The next census showed an increasing Jewish population of merchants, inkeepers, distillers, mead producers, lawyers and physicians. They played an important role in the economy of Lendava, owning a local hotel, pubs and stores. Jews also started the first bank in Lendava. A Jewish school opened in 1850 and was active until 1921. The last rabbi in Lendava was Mor Lowy. The synagogue in Lendava is one of two only left synagogue in Slovenia. Jewish history. The area of Lendava was populated since prehistoric times due to excellent transport and defense positions on the north including a significant Roman settlement and military outpost Halicanum. By the end of WWII, the old part of town has a relatively uniform appearance of single or double story residences at the foot of the hills below the Lendava Castle. Turkish invasions effected the Jews, who began settling from Austria and Hungary. Once a typical civil service, business and commercial rural town, Lendava is becoming a cultural center using the renovated synagogue, which has no internal religious articles. The Jewish cemetery, which is the only cemetery in all Prekmurje that remained "intact". Buildings on Main Street show the important role the Jewish people played in the town. Years ago, the synagogue and school that held apartment a rabbi, apartment, but by the end of the 1990s, they were demolished to build a cultural center. Author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. [September 2010]

"A Chevra Kadish formed in Lendava in 1834 and purchased land for a cemetery near the village of Dloga Vas, just outside town. The land was fenced in 1880. Today the cemetery is on a main road facing a broad vista of farm fields, a few hundred meters from the Hungarian border." A chain link fence surrounds the cemetery. Entry is through a ceremonial hall, which was restored after vandalism in 1989 that damaged 43 tombstones. Inside is a plaque commemorating the Jewish cemetery in Beltinci, which ceased operation around 1900. (Some of its stones may have been moved to Lendava). Of the 176 tombstones, about 40 are from the second half of the 19th century with most from the 20th century. There are several inscriptions to Auschwitz victims. In the middle of the cemetery, there is a Holocaust memorial to Prekmurje Jews erected by 4 survivors in 1947. (Photo in book) Many of the newer stones are of black marble and in generally good condition. Some laminated photographs of the person have been removed. The cemetery is well maintained, and despite the vandalism of 1989, there seems to be no current threat. Source: Jewish Monuments in Slovenia. Gruber, Ruth Ellen and Samuel D. Jewish Heritage Research Center: November 1996. The US Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad.

BOOK: Gruber, Ruth Ellen. Jewish Heritage Travel: A Guide to East-Central Europe. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1992. (Page 238)

A hilltop castle dominates this small town close to the Hungarian border. Jews from Hungary settled in Lendava around 1773. The prayed at the home of innkeeper Bodog Weisz. In 1843, the community rented and then purchased another building that became their first real synagogue. A synagogue began in 1866 was heavily damaged by the Germans and was sold to the town by the Jewish Federation of Yugoslavia after the Second World War. Used as a warehouse, in 1994, a project to turn it into a cultural centre began. Town officials rebuilt the project. The women’s gallery houses a permanent exhibition on local Jewish history. The address is Spodnja Ulica 5. [January 2009]

Jewish cemetery: A Chevra Kadisha formed in Lendava in 1834 purchased land for a cemetery near the village of Dolga Vas. The land enclosed in 1880 now stands on a main road facing a broad vista of fields, a few hundred meters from the Hungarian border. Surrounded by a chainlink fence, the entry is through an Ohel with a large, arched central door flanked by two arched windows. Painted pale yellow with a red tile roof, a plaque inide commemorates the Jewish cemetery in Beltinci, which ceased operation around the turn of the century. Some stones from this cemetery may have been moved to Lendava. The plaque also gives the names of prominent members of the local community from the early 20th century. 176 gravestones are visible in the cemetery, many dating from the second half of the 19th century. The remainder are mostly 20th century. Newer stones made from black marble are generally in good condition. A number of enamelled photographs of the deceased have been removed. Relatively few graves have sculptural decoration. Older stones carved from local sandstone are severely eroded. Several inscriptions commemorate Auschwitz victims. At the center of the cemetery is a Holocaust memorial to the murdered Jews of the Prekmurje region erected by four survivors in 1947. The Ohel and cemetery were restored following an i1989 ncident iin which 43 gravestones were damaged. The cemetery is well maintained, though a number of stones suffer from erosion. [January 2009]