Naive Träume

Despite growing anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe, the Jewish community is celebrating its 220th anniversary in Komarno in Slovakia. 220 years - an impressive number. Many guests have come, also from abroad; the mayor is here and of course the members themselves, but they are few. That would be nothing unusual, as a number of religious communities in Europe are suffering dwindling membership. But in this case the reason is a tragic one.

At the beginning of the 1940s 2743 Jews lived in Komarno; only 248 survived the Holocaust and the community today has 45 registered members.

Two brothers, Tamas and Andras Paszternak, now 30 years old, took the initiative as teenagers to bring the community back to life. They started organising religious services and cultural events and created a community newspaper. The film shows their commitment in particular, but the viewer will also meet people who have left Komarno but participate every year in the local commemoration of the Holocaust. The film also shows some of the history of the Jews in Komarno, whose presence can be traced back to the 13th century. Another topic, addressed in speeches on the day of remembrance and in conversations with Kormarner citizens, Jewish and non-Jewish, is the still-present, sometimes even increasing anti-Semitism. Despite everything, though, hope dominates, because among other things the community centre with its small, beautiful synagogue has been renovated with the help of donations and municipal contributions. A significant portion of the donations came from Switzerland, from people who originally come from Komarno, and from their Swiss friends and families.