The Department of Philosophy and Political Science at the Faculty of Arts, UKF in Nitra hosted a full-day seminar on September 29, 2026, titled Testimonies of Survivors – a Message for Future Generations. The event was organized by the Jewish Religious Community in Banská Bystrica in collaboration with the faculty, the Carpathian Platform, and the Embassy of the State of Israel in Slovakia. The seminar was supported by the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic as part of a program aimed at protecting human rights and preventing discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism.
Participants were welcomed by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, UKF in Nitra, Prof. PhDr. Martin Hetényi, PhD., the Chairman of the Jewish Religious Community in Banská Bystrica, Ing. Jaromír Wolt, and the project guarantor, PhDr. Martin Korčok, PhD. The event was also supported by the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the State of Israel to the Slovak Republic, H.E. Jacob Zvi Yanovsky.
The expert program provided perspectives on the Holocaust from historical, political, theological, and social viewpoints. The head of the Department of Philosophy and Political Science at UKF in Nitra, PhDr. Mária Kočnerová, PhD., focused her contribution on extremism as a form of human rights violation. Mgr. Matej Beránek, PhD., discussed the role of undemocratic regimes in the Holocaust process. Historical contexts were presented by PhDr. Martin Korčok, PhD., head of the Holocaust Museum in Sereď, and Prof. ThDr. Peter Borza, PhD., from the Faculty of Arts at UPJŠ in Košice. The afternoon block was complemented by a lecture from Prof. Dr. Lily Halpert-Zamir from Jerusalem on the fates of women during the Holocaust.
The strongest part of the seminar was a discussion with survivor Agneša Urbanová, who as a child survived hiding after the suppression of the Slovak National Uprising and deportation with her mother to Terezín. The discussion was moderated by Prof. PaedDr. Martin Pekár, PhD., and included Rostyslav Pyliaiev from the Carpathian Platform, Rabbi Michail Borisovič Kapustin, and PhDr. Martin Korčok, PhD.
The personal testimony highlighted the importance of preserving the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. As the generation of direct witnesses gradually passes away, it remains an important task for schools, museums, and universities to pass on their experiences to future generations.
Text: Mgr. Jozef Huljak
Photo: Ing. Marián Mancír