Open day at the Tolerance Center – a former Jewish school
On April 24, 2024, we officially opened the doors of the former Jewish school, today the Tolerance Center, to the general public. After years of the building falling into disrepair, being closed, it was finally able to be shown in its full glory. The functionalist building from the 1930s came to life thanks to a grant from the Culture program, which is administered by the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic. The Municipal Cultural Center of Levice turned the dilapidated building into a center of culture and education. The city of Levice also participated financially in the project “Restoration of the national cultural monument – Levice Jewish school”. The visitors, of whom almost 200 came despite the unfavorable weather, were able to tour the premises where interesting workshops, a lecture room, a gallery and the permanent exhibition We lived here together will be held, and are actually already being held. They also occupied the premises of the new cafe, which will always be open during cultural events. The guided tour was very popular. Former pupils who remember the school years spent in classrooms that have been changed beyond recognition, young people, curious about what the building looks like from the inside. Everyone was interested in what activities were planned and what the new premises would offer them. We believe that as there is currently a lot of interest and visitors coming, the interest will not abate and the Municipal Cultural Center will prepare interesting, creative activities and events not only for the residents of Levi, but also for visitors to our city.
On the same day, illustrator Hedviga M. Gutierrez led an art workshop for elementary school children, the topic of which was discrimination. The children worked with the book “How are you, Izabela?” by the writer Diana Mašlejová, who elaborates on life with the stigma of a national minority in the story of the Roma girl Izabela.
