Pictured here is a New Years card sent from Banska Bystica, Slovakia. It is a view of the town from the end of the 19^th century. In 1940, there were 1,327 Jews in Banska Bystica. Deportations began in March, 1942. Many families were deported to concentration camps and ghettoes in the Lublin area.  400 “useful” Jews remained behind. Jewish refugees began to arrive after the Slovakian national uprising in August 1944. Dozens of local residents helped the Jews; Yad Vashem subsequently honored them as Righteous Among the Nations.

Yad Vashem Archives 70642