Dateline: Slovakia!

Dr. Nemcova and cousin Nori at the Banksa Stavnica (Selmeczbanya) cemetery.

After our unpleasant meeting with the aloof archivist at the Ujpest Town Hall, it was a welcome change to be greeted at the entrance to the Banska Bystica branch of the Slovakian national archives by librarian Maria. I must be an obvious foreigner because she greeted me with a warm “Debbie!” I had corresponded with Maria briefly but it was enough to establish a relationship.

Unfortunately, the records that we wanted—the Jewish metrical records from prior to 1880—did not exist, but Nori, Magda, and I looked at the microfiche anyway, figuring it might be worth a shot.

We were not disappointed. We found one reference, and just one, but it was noteworthy. Apparently, Mor and Maria Munk had a third child, Samu (or Samuel) in 1867, two years after they had their twin sons Joszef and Lipot. Sadly, Samu died seven years later.

We found no other references to the Munks, so after a brief visit to a local shopping mall, we headed to the home of the Munks, Selmeczbanya (as it was known when Hungary owned this part of Slovakia) or its more contemporary Slovakian name Banksa Stavnica. A UNESCO world heritage site, Banksa Stavnica is high in the mountains, reachable only by a winding road. In the distance, you can see the local castle high up on a hill. This town was rich in its day from silver and gold mines.

We had some incredible luck. When we went to the information center, the knowledgeable person in charge called the local Jewish expert, a young woman named Dr. Beate Nemcova. She offered to meet us at the well-known Jewish cemetery and let us in. I was surprised at her generous offer and immediately took her up on it. When we met, I was surprised again, not only by her youth but by her Star of David necklace. She told me that there two Jews left in this town, one “original Jew,” as she put it, and herself. She was in the process of converting to Judaism, a decision that was particularly courageous given her description of the area as “still anti-Semite.”

She is in the process of publishing a book about the Jews in this area and was intimately familiar with the cemetery as well. When I was here two years ago, the gate was locked, but Beate had the key with her and led us on a tour. She apparently has placed herself in charge of periodically weeding and mowing the cemetery and raising funds for renovations for the building that was used for preparing the dead for burial, an unusual structure built in the 1900s in a Moorish style.

With a few phone calls to her students, Beate was able to let us know that there were no Munks buried here, which saved us some time and some effort since clambering about this hilly graveyard was not easy for me or for my pregnant cousin.

I promised to email Beate this evening and find out more about publication which she assures us has some information about the Munks in it. Beate led us out of town and dropped us at a local restaurant with an astonishing view of the village. What a gracious young woman.

We drove back to Budapest where Nori and her mom are now making one of my favorite dishes--palascintas. I know the French are proud of their crepes but they should be prepared to be humbled in the wake of the Hungarian palascinta!