Shalom Chaverim – Festival of Jewish Culture
Shalom is perhaps the most beautiful, but also the most famous Hebrew word. We wish with it peace, love and tranquility. Slightly less well known is the word chaver, plural chaverim. It means friend, friends. From September 9-15, a genre-spanning program awaits you at the first annual Shalom Chaverim Festival of Jewish Culture, which promises a lively celebration of heritage, community and the arts.
The Bratislava region has always been ethnically incredibly heterogeneous. Therefore, the cultural heritage of past generations is colorful and full of rich diversity. The Shalom Chaverim festival, which will take place from September 9 to 16, is intended to commemorate it. Although the Jewish community has always been significant part of this territory, its culture is nowadays relatively unknown. Showcasing its various forms is the main intention of the organizers of the first year of the Shalom Chaverim (Hello Friends) Festival of Jewish Culture.
With a wide range of events during the festival, from exhibitions of Jewish authors, theatre performances, Jewish Bratislava tours, a chochmah quiz, concerts and Jewish gastronomic delights, the festival offers something for everyone. One of the highlights of the programme is the long-awaited Sholet Fest, where participants will be able to enjoy a traditional Jewish meal that is as rich in flavour as it is in history.
On September 16, there will be a special bonus event – the Gala Closing Concert at the National Theatre – to celebrate the upcoming Rosh Hashanah (Rosh Hashanah) – the Jewish New Year’s holiday. On October 3, 2024, the 5785th year will be celebrated. 200 free tickets are reserved for the public.
We recommend the following festival events:
10 September, Courtyard of the Bratislava Synagogue, Heydukova Street
Peter Győri Quartet – concert with a tour of the synagogue from 18:00
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11 September, Courtyard of the Bratislava Synagogue, Heydukova Street
Pressburger Klezmer Band and Karín Sarkisjan – concert with a tour of the synagogue from 18:00
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12 September, Museum of Jewish Culture Bratislava, Židovská Street
Samaria Klezmer Band – concert connected with a tour of the museum from 18:00
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15 September, Hviezdoslav Square
Sholet fest from 11:00 to 17:00, free entry
Tasting of the traditional Jewish dish of sholet, live concerts.
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15 September 19:00, SND
Hilaris Chamber Orchestra, conductor Peter Breiner, flute Martina Kamencay, trumpet Juraj Bartoš
The festival will bring you many events through which you will get to know Jewish culture. Activities and events will take place in museums, galleries, theatres, concert halls and outdoors.
There will also be places such as the Bratislava Castle, the Astorka Korzo’90 Theatre, synagogues in Senec, Bratislava, Malacky and Rohožník, as well as the Pistori Palace, the Modra Manor and Hviezdoslav Square in Bratislava. Festival events will take place in several towns of the Bratislava region.
Most of the programme is concentrated in Bratislava and the festival programme will also officially open the reconstructed synagogue in Senec. The synagogues in Malacky and Rohožník, as well as the Modra Manor House, will also offer their spaces for the events.
The reconstructed synagogue in the nearby smalltown Senec will have its grand premiere, where various concerts are being prepared, such as a concert by Peter Györi Grossmann, Robert Fischmann and Anna-Marie D’Almeida, concerts by the Hungarian Jewish groups Jáger Bandi & Malek Andrea, Tzomet Band and the trio Lipa, Breiner, Palúch, film screenings, talks on Judaism and Christianity and many more.
