A két transzport története: a muraközi és muravidéki zsidók a holokausztban (A story of two transports. Jews in Međimurje and Prekmurje during the Holocaust), opening of the visiting exhibition at the Synagogue Maribor

The documentary exhibition A Story of Two Transports. Jews in Međimurje and Prekmurje during the Holocaust presents the long history of Jews in the Prekmurje and Međimurje regions, the rise and flourishing of Jewish communities in the region, their contribution to the development of towns and villages in both regions, and the sad fate that befell them during the Holocaust. The exhibition, by Boris Hajdinjak, director of the Maribor Synagogue, was originally made in a Slovenian-English language version, but a Hungarian-English version was also prepared for the visit to the synagogue in Nagykanizsa, where the exhibition has been on display since May of this year.

Exhibition: People of the Book – Jewish Literature and Its Legacy

On the occasion of this year’s European Days of Jewish Culture, the Center of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor presents an informative exhibition dedicated to the most important Jewish sacred texts and secular works. This is the first exhibition of its kind in Slovenia, highlighting both the role of Jewish literature in shaping Jewish thought, faith, and tradition, and introducing visitors to some of the most prominent Jewish writers.

The exhibition consists of thematic panels, each exploring a specific aspect of Jewish literature. Together, they provide a comprehensive overview that resonates with the EDJC 2025 theme, “People of the Book.” All materials are also available in English, making the exhibition suitable for touring within Slovenia and abroad.

Jewish Languages, Exhibition

Jews everywhere, wherever they live, speak and write differently from their neighbours. Sometimes their language is different because of a few extra Hebrew words, other times they speak a completely different language. In the centuries around the beginning of our era, Jews spoke Judeo-Aramaic instead of Hebrew, and a few centuries later, Judeo-Greek. As they emigrated from Israel and then created new communities in other lands, they continued to learn the local languages, speaking and writing them in their own unique, Jewish way. Over the next few centuries, quite a few languages emerged in Europe and the Middle East. With the exhibition Jewish Languages, organised in 2016 by the National Library of Israel, we offer you a small glimpse into the vast world of Jewish languages.

We need to leave something behind for the world. Beyond the Diary of Renia Spiegel, Opening of a Visiting Exhibition of the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow

The exhibition dedicated to Renia Spiegel presents the life, feelings and experiences of a Polish Jewish teenager who wrote a moving diary during World War II. This precious document of childhood, growing up and wartime fate, which was only discovered in a family heirloom in 2012, has become, after decades of silence, one of the most powerful testimonies of the Holocaust through the eyes of a young woman. The exhibition, conceived by the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, will be on display until 24 October 2025, during the office hours of the central unit of the Maribor Library.

The exhibition includes the art works of three artists: Mirjana Lehner Dragić, Marko Dragić and Jozef Baruhović.

Mirjana Dragić Lehner graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Belgrade in 1963, has been a freelance artist since 1965, and has been a member of ULUPUDS since 1970. She has held 67 solo and over 350 group exhibitions. Mirjana Lehner's paintings are in private collections and state museums in Serbia and abroad.

Marko Dragić is a multimedia artist, born in Belgrade in 1975, studied FON and FIT in Belgrade. He is a member of the Association of Fine Artists of Serbia (ULUS). He expresses contemporary forms of artistic expression through photography and computer graphics. The themes of his works are almost always sacred, so his artwork contributes to the understanding of the cultural heritage of minorities.

Slovenian Female Inmates in Nazi Concentration Camps, opening of the visiting exhibition of the Maribor Synagogue and the MNSZS

During World War II, around 21,000 camp inmates were deported from the current Slovenian territory to the concentration camps of the Third Reich. Among them, it is estimated that about a quarter were women, most of whom were interned in the Nazi concentration camps in Ravensbrück and Auschwitz. The exhibition, prepared by Boris Hajdinjak (Center of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor) and dr. Monika Kokalj Kočevar (National Museum Of Contemporary History Of Slovenia), tells the story of the tragic fate of Slovenian camp women, many of whom did not survive. The exhibition was premiered in 2024 at the National Museum Of Contemporary History Of Slovenia.,

Raised for Success – The Legenstein Family, Opening of the Visiting Exhibition of the Museum of Medžimurje Čakovec

The exhibition of the Museum of Medžimurje Čakovec, authored by Ana Šestak, presents the Legenstein family, which is connected to both Murska Sobota and Čakovec. It is one of the most famous families from Čakovec from the interwar period, which played an important role in the cultural and sports fields. Geza Legenstein worked as a waiter in the Pri kroni café in the Dobrai hotel in Murska Sobota, which was rented by the Jew Mark Kemény. Around 1920, Legenstein took over the café from Kemény, and in 1922 he married his daughter Elizabeta Kemény. Geza and Elizabeta had a daughter, Lili, a year later.

How do we remember people and their stories? How is memory passed on to future generations? And can digital tools help strengthen this process?

These questions are at the heart of the European Day of Jewish Culture, held in the vaulted cellar of the Goldener Apfel. The program begins with a guided tour by Katja Janitschek, curator of the Museum Judengasse, through the exhibition at the Goldener Apfel.

Afterwards, Tanja Neumann, head of the “Immersive Jewish Frankfurt” project, invites you on a journey through time: Get a first glimpse of the new immersive application focused on the Judengasse around 1862, and engage in conversations with AI-generated characters. Or join the discussion on how such virtual experiences might shape the future of commemorative culture.

Opening of the Exhibition: People of the Book – Jewish Literature and Its Legacy

September 24, 2025 at 1pm

Center of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor

The Center of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor will be hosting an informative exhibition of the most important Jewish holy books and secular literature for this year’s Jewish Year of the Book. This will be the first such exhibition in the Slovenian language, which will, on the one hand, introduce visitors to the Synagogue Maribor to the importance of Jewish literature for the development of Jewish thought, belief, and tradition, and on the other hand, present some of the most prominent Jewish writers.

The panel-type exhibition will be prepared in such a way that each panel will present an independent thematic content, which, in conjunction with the remaining chapters, will also provide insight into the broader context of the chosen theme of the European Days of Jewish Culture “The People of the Book”.