Huncovce

Huncovce (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈɦuntsɔwtse]; Hungarian: Hunfalva, til 1902: Hunfalu, German: Hunsdorf, Hunszdorf, Hundsdorf in der Zips, Hunzdorf, Hunesdorf,[4] Rusyn: Гунцовце, Yiddish: אונסדאָרףֿ Unsdorf, Hebrew: אונסדורף, Latin: Villa Canis, Hunisvilla) is a village and municipality in Kežmarok District in the Prešov Region of north Slovakia.

At the beginning of the 19th century, about half of the residents were Jews, and the rest Christian Germans and Slovaks, who were generally either Lutheran or Catholic.

In the 19th century, Huncovce became an important regional centre of Torah learning, and a renowned yeshiva, where in the mid-century up to 350 boys studied, was built and led by Rabbi Yechezkel Wolf Segel.

In the interbellum period, the Jewish population had begun to dwindle; by 1919, there were fewer than 275 Jews remaining (the entire community, including non-Jews, numbered less than 500 at this time).

During this period, most of the Jews made a living in commerce and small business (e.g., grocers and butchers), and some tradesmen (e.g., tailors and carpenters).

Today no Jewish community exists, but the local government declared the remaining cemetery a protected historical site, and the yeshiva building still stands.