October 28, 2005
Officials in the Slovak town of Topolcany have apologized to Jewish citizens for an anti-Semitic pogrom that took place in September 1945. “We express deep regret at the tragic event which has no equivalent in our modern history in terms of its evil and inhuman character,” said a statement by Topolcany municipal officials to representatives of the Federation of Jewish Communities at a commemorative meeting. The gathering was attended by more than 50 former Jewish inhabitants of Topolcany, which has a population of approximately 15,000. Of the 3,000 Jews who resided in the town before the war, 10 per cent survived the Shoah, but when they returned from concentration camps, they had to face the anti-Semitic wrath of their Slovakian neighbors.
