In the Mountains and On the River: Repression and Survival, Two Centuries of Jewish Life in Slovakia 1830-1945

In the Mountains and On the River chronicles the history of the Slovak Jews between 1848 and 1945. It is based on an in-depth historical investigation by the author Gabriel Groszman, numerous memoirs by members of his extended families and documents obtained from historical institutes in Slovakia, Italy, Israel and the United States. The narrative takes us through the successive periods of the Habsburg Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, democratic Czechoslovakia and the fascist Slovak Republic, culminating in the destruction of Jewish life in Slovakia during the Holocaust. The multi-generational family histories reflect the shared destiny of Slovak Jewry and their achievements in spite of discrimination, followed by open persecution leading to exile, death, or in the case of a fortunate minority, survival. The stories of several families come to life through the written and verbal accounts of the survivors and descendents of people murdered during the Holocaust.