Alternate name:Rajecz.  town image [February 2009]

US Commission No. CZCExxx394

Rajec is located in Zilina at 49º06' 18º37', 16 km SSW of Zilina and 20 km W of Martin. The cemetery is 600 m E of the square. Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.

• Town: Mestsky urad, namestie SNP, 015 01 Rajec nad Rajcankou, tel. 0823/2063; mayor: tel. 0823/2030.
• Regional: Okresny urad referat kultury, Hodzova 20, 010 01 Zilina, tel. 089/235-78 or 230-72; Zidovska nabozenska obec, Holleho 9, 010 01 Zilina, tel. 089/204-85.
• Interested: Povazske muzeum, zamok Budatin, Topolova 14, 010 03 Zilina, tel. 089/203-06 or 219-43.

The earliest known Jewish community was first half of 19th century. 1921Jewish population was about 300. The unlandmarked Jewish cemetery was established in first quarter of 19th century. The last known Jewish burial was 1954. The isolated suburban, rural (agricultural) hillside has a Slovak sign. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all via a 1992 continuous masonry wall without gate as protection from tombstone robbers. The pre- and post-WWII size is approximately 0.2 ha hectares. The cemetery has special section for suicides. 100-500 stones date from 1820 to twentieth century. The marble, granite and sandstone flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration or multi-stone monuments, some with traces of painting on their surfaces and metal fences around graves, have inscriptions in Hebrew, German, Slovak and Hungarian. Within the limits of the cemetery is a pre-burial house ruin. Zilina Jewish community owns the property used as Jewish cemetery only.

Adjacent properties are agricultural. Occasionally, private visitors and local residents stop. The cemetery has been vandalized occasionally 1945-91. Jewish groups within country and abroad did restoration in 1992 but no maintenance now. Serious threat: vandalism. Moderate threat: vegetation. Slight threat: pollution, existing nearby development and proposed nearby development.

Jiri Fiedler, z"l, Brdickova 1916, 155 00 Praha 5, tel. 02/55-33-40 completed survey on 25 August 1992. Documentation: Peter Ujvari: Magyar zsido lexikon (1929). Other documentation exists but was inaccessible. No site visits or interviews occurred.

January 2009:

Map of Village

Town Rajec
	Address:	Phone:	00 421 41 542 20 30
	Mestský úrad	Fax:	00 421 41 542 22 24
	Nám. SNP 2//2	Email:	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	015 01 Rajec SLOVAKIA	Web:	www.rajec.sk