“We have nothing but a name.”
Israel Isserlein (1390–1460)
Jews in Slovenia: from Antiquity to the present
The presence of Jews in the lands that today constitute Slovenia reaches back to Antiquity. Across the centuries, Jewish communities flourished in Maribor, Ljubljana, Ptuj, Celje, Koper, Piran, Slovenj Gradec, Gorizia, Trieste, Klagenfurt, and later in the Prekmurje region and beyond. They were merchants and artisans, physicians and scholars, entrepreneurs and artists, mothers, fathers, and children. They contributed to the economic, cultural, intellectual, and social fabric of the communities in which they lived, leaving an enduring imprint on the history of this region.
This exhibition tells the story of both their presence and their absence—of belonging and creativity, but also of expulsion, persecution, the Holocaust, and the long silence that followed. Their history is not a chapter apart from Slovenian history; it is inseparable from it. The exhibition takes its title from the words of Rabbi Israel Isserlein (1390–1460), one of the most distinguished rabbinic scholars of Central Europe, who was born in Maribor. His poignant statement—"We have nothing but a name"—echoes across centuries, reminding us of the fragility of memory and the enduring power of remembrance.
Many of the stories presented here continue beyond the gallery walls. Through QR codes, visitors can explore additional documents, photographs, testimonies, and personal histories that illuminate the richness and complexity of Jewish life in Slovenia.
This is more than an exhibition about Jews. It is an exhibition about the lives that shaped this land, the memories that survived, and the responsibility to remember. Above all, it is an exhibition about people.
Robert Baruch Waltl
Ljubljana, September 2026
Colofon
Exhibition Author and Curator:
Robert Baruh Waltl
Catalogue Text Authors:
dr. Irena Šumi
Marjan Toš
doc. dr. Matevž Košir
Dušan Šarotar
dr. Lev Kreft
Robert Waltl
Academic Review:
dr. Irena Šumi
Design:
PM, poslovni mediji / Martin Košir, Nal Klemen, Ljubica Čehovin Suna
Technical Assistance:
Matej Primec, Golan Gross – Mini teater
Slovenian Language Editing:
Jože Faganel
English Translation and Editing:
Rebecca Rosse, Nika Korenjak
Hebrew Translation:
Golan Gross
Acknowledgements
The author of the exhibition would like to express his sincere gratitude to all individuals, researchers, institutions, and friends whose knowledge, research, materials, advice, and support contributed to the creation of this exhibition. Their scholarly, professional, and personal contributions have significantly enriched our understanding, research, and preservation of Jewish heritage in Slovenia.
Special thanks are due to: Irena Šumi, Ljubica Čehovin Suna, Renato Podberšič, Gregor Jenuš, Marjan Toš, Oto Luthar, Miriam Steiner Aviezer, Bojan Zadravec, Klemen Jelinčič, Samo Skralovnik and Rebecca Rose.
Dedication
This exhibition is dedicated to the generations of Jews who helped shape the history of the Slovenian lands and to all those who continue to preserve their heritage today.
Downloads
Catalogue of the exhibition (PDF)
Catalogue of the Slovenian archive(PDF)
Financial support
Anonymous donor
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Slovenia
Mini teater