A town in western Slovakia that was home to one of the largest Slovak Jewish communities before the war. In 1939, an old age home was converted into a refuge for Jews, which was run partially with support from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. In 1941, 230 elderly Jews were housed there. In 1943, the Slovak government established a camp in Nové Mesto nad Váhom called “Central Jewish Old People’s Camp in Nováky with transitional headquarters in Nové Mesto nad Váhom,” primarily for the purpose of housing elderly Jews who were deemed to be a drain on resources in the labor camps in Slovakia. After the German takeover of Slovakia in 1944, all residents of the camp were deported to Auschwitz via the transit camp at Sered.
Vyhne was the smallest of three main domestic labor camps into which Slovak Jews were concentrated from 1942–1944. Initially used to provide temporary housing for Jewish refugees wishing to emigrate, the camp at Vyhne was converted into a Jewish labor camp in early 1942. Laborers performed construction work and worked in workshops producing clothing and leather goods.Vyhne was liberated in the Slovak National Uprising of August 1944.
Novaky was one of three labor and transit camps into which Slovak Jews were concentrated from 1942–1944.The camp operated over 20 workshops where Jews performed forced labor; it also functioned as a transit camp for deportations to camps German-occupied Poland. The camp was was liberated in the Slovakian National Uprising in August 1944.
Sered was the largest of three labor and transit camps into which Slovak Jews were concentrated from 1942–1944 and deported to Nazi camps in occupied Poland. Following the Slovak uprising of August 1944, the camp was taken over by the SS and deportations increased dramatically between late September 1944-late March 1945.
Historical region today located mainly in western Ukraine, along the border between Central and Eastern Europe. Also known as Carpathian Ruthenia, this region was part of the Kingdom of Hugray from the 9th Century until the end of WWI. During the interwar period, it constituted the easternmost part of Czechoslovakia. With the partition of Czechoslovakia in 1939, Subcarpathian Rus was again part of Hungary until 1945, when it was ceded to Soviet Ukraine.
