Bikur Cholim Prayer Room in 1929 he had the Jewish Society for the Care of the Sick Chevra bikur cholim built in the centre of Bardejov.
It is a simple building oriented to the street with its eastern façade dominated by a pair of gothic arched windows and a Hebrew inscription with the name of the association that built the synagogue. The most representative space of the synagogue is the prayer hall.
Full the interior is decorated with decorative ornamental paintingswhich are together with original inventory a silent but impressive monument to Bardejov's Jewish past and its tragic destruction during the Holocaust.
The synagogue survived World War II unscathed thanks to the heroism of Anna Koperniech, a non-Jewish administrator. During the period of communist totalitarianism and even after its fall, the synagogue was selflessly cared for by Maximilian Špíra, the last member of the Bardejov Jewish community.
The Bikur Cholim prayer room is thanks to this one of the best preserved synagogues in Slovakia.At the same time it is also registered in the Register of Immovable National Cultural Monuments.
At present, the prayer room is owned by the Central Union of Jewish Religious Communities in the Slovak Republic (ÚZŽNO), which regularly contributes to the restoration and maintenance of this valuable building.
Text and cover photo source: www.suburbiumbardejov.sk
