Conference “Blank Spaces of Jewish Moravia and Slovakia”

The cultural-educational institute Small Mehrin in Brno invites to a historical conference dedicated to Moravian–Slovak interconnections within European Jewish history. The conference will offer perspectives on mutual relations, cultural and religious ties, and the historical events that have shaped Jewish communities on both sides of the border for centuries.

The conference is taking place 29 March 2026 in Brno, MUNI, Komenského square 2, Sir Roger Scruton Hall Nr. 300.

Contributions may focus on existing research and on identifying uncharted areas such as:

commercial and family ties between Moravian and Slovak Jewish communities;
movements of rabbis, scholars, and students between the regions;
cross-border marriages, families and business between Moravia and Slovakia;
the influence of Moravian Jewish communities on religious life in Slovakia, and vice versa;
linguistic and cultural identity of Jewish communities;
escapes and hiding during 1938–1945;
stories of families divided by the border;
the restoration of Jewish communities after 1945 and 1989;
cultural heritage and shared projects – synagogues, cemeteries, museums, educational activities, and sites of memory;
opportunities for joint research and the digitalization of Jewish heritage in Moravia and Slovakia, and the role of archives and museum institutions on both sides of the border.

The meeting aims not only to contribute to scholarly debate, but also to inspire further cross-border research, museum projects, and educational initiatives connecting Moravia and Slovakia.

Please send paper proposals with a short abstract (up to 300 words) to muzeum@malymehrin.cz by 20 December 2025.

You will be informed of acceptance at the end of January, together with the publication of the final program.

More information is available here: Blank Spaces of Jewish Moravia and Slovakia – conference – Small Mehrin

Recording of the Conference from year 2025 on YouTube