Education and Enlightenment of Jewish Population in Slovakia until 1945. An Example of Microhistory of Prešov

The town Prešov can be proud of its rich cultural and educational traditions and they also represent the reason why Prešov is called "Athens upon Torysa". Educational needs of more races were satisfied in this multi-ethnical centre during its turbulent historical development and the level of these needs was conditioned by the social-political and economical conditions of this period. Since the end of the 18th century, the Jewish citizens were becoming an immanent part of the town's life and they were gradually founding their own educational, edifying and sport organizations alongside with the development of their religious community and so they were enhancing the cultural life of the town with their specific diversity. On the background of the main developmental tendencies, this paper summarizes the development of the individual Jewish school associations that provided education also for the pupils of other confessions; it points to the gradual participation of the cultural organizations and sport clubs in edifying activity and to their specific contribution in this area. The paper also includes the presentation of the most important Jewish people who contributed to the development of the town in the individual areas, to the spreading of educational level of the citizens, to the keeping of Jewish artifacts and to the presentation of Jewish culture through the first Jewish museum in Slovakia founded in Prešov, respectively they were very successful abroad. The paper also describes the impact of the tragic war events and deportation of the Jewish citizens, which caused its decimation and the decline of the educational and edifying efforts.