Holocaust survivor and tireless fighter for freedom celebrates his centenary

Every week The Slovak Spectator brings you a selection of three short stories from across Slovakia from which pessimism and negativity are absent. After witnessing a century of adversity, still he fights for justice Otto Šimko, World War II veteran and former underground resistance fighter, recently celebrated his 100th birthday. Born in Topoľčany, in western Slovakia, to a Jewish family, he first experienced as a boy the anti-Semitic regulations imposed by the emerging Nazi-allied Slovak State. He avoided deportation to a Nazi concentration camp, but was sent to a labour camp in the town of Vyhne, central Slovakia, in 1942. He then took part in the Slovak National Uprising (SNP). After being detained and undergoing brutal interrogations, he managed to escape from prison. Between 1954 and 1971, he worked as a journalist at the newspaper Smena; from 1971, under the supervision of the communist-era ŠtB secret police, he served as a corporate lawyer, the Nation’s Memory Institute (ÚPN) wrote. Today, he remains a defender and promoter of freedom. Recently, he was one of the faces of the Ammunition for Ukraine crowdfunding project. Among those to congratulate him was President Zuzana Čaputová, who paid him a personal visit at the Ohel David facility, which was established as the first Jewish home for the elderly with a nationwide scope. It is also the only facility of its kind in Slovakia for Holocaust survivors. “We debated about everything – present-day Slovakia, the past, society, politics and his life,” Čaputová wrote on Facebook. “Today, many appreciate his rational approach to historical facts and lifelong optimism, unfeigned modesty, sense of justice, resistance to false heroism and lies, rare capacity for critical self-reflection and sympathetic sense of irony and self-deprecation.” Two of Slovakia’s zoos win recognition Two of Slovakia’s zoos have recently been awarded for their upbringing of young animals. The zoo in Bratislava placed second in the Mammals category of the prestigious White Elephant competition for its care of Sumatran orangutans. The competition awards exceptional achievements by zoos in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. As Alexandra Ritterová, the zoo’s PR manager, told the TASR newswire, the young male, named Cahya, is the first successfully bred Sumatran orangutan in the whole of Slovakia. “We’re happy that we could be part of this competition in a category full of amazing zoos,” the zoo wrote on Facebook, thanking everybody who helps them with their mission to protect rare species. Third place in the same category was taken by the zoo in Bojnice, western Slovakia, for its care of four European wildcat cubs. “The joy is even greater as we have already released one of last year’s cubs into the wild,” the zoo wrote on Facebook. Preserving traditional sheep farming Despite a decline in traditional mountain sheep farming in Slovakia, there are still people preserving the practice. Several of them are active on the territory of the Slovak Paradise National Park. For example, the farm in Hrabušice breeds about 800 sheep – specifically, improved Wallachian sheep, native Wallachian sheep and Slovak milk sheep. They graze the slopes of Zelená Hora mountain and near the well-known tourist centre of Podlesok, the national park wrote on Facebook. In another locality, Stratená Píla, which is situated in the southern part of the park, there is a herd of more than 150 native Wallachian sheep. “The national park’s nature offers the sheep nutritious pasture on the mountain meadows, and the sheep, in turn, help preserve the species diversity of plants,” the conservationists wrote. In order to lure a younger generation to sheep farming, the shepherds and sheep breeders have lately started receiving more money for their work. Five feel-good stories published by The Slovak Spectator to read: Explore the Tokaj wine-making region in eastern Slovakia, which offers not only wine, but also camping in treetops and water tourism. A once-forgotten Slovak, Andrej Babjak, was among thousands of soldiers who, as part of the Allied forces, landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, 80 years ago. Travelling freely while working remotely by using technology and the internet has become popular amongst Slovaks, especially during and since the Covid-19 pandemic. But how to become a digital nomad? Bratislava has a new road sign, introducing a so-called Kiss and Go zone. The original name of a village known officially as Spišské Bystré, which is situated in the Hornád river basin in eastern Slovakia, was supposed to be buried in the past. However, the old name, Kubachy, still lives on. Political meme of the week Caption: They blocked my channel. With this meme, caricaturist Mikuláš Sliacky reacts to the decision by video-sharing platform YouTube to cancel a channel that had belonged to the notorious Slovak extremist and conspiracy theorist Daniel Bombic, also known as Danny Kollar. By the standards of Slovak-language channels it had a large following on the platform – 79,500 people – and his videos had received more than 12 million views in the past seven months. Several coalition politicians have willingly appeared on his online show. Three European arrest warrants have been issued against the Slovak for extremism and the unauthorised handling of personal data. Bombic currently lives in London but in April a court there ordered his extradition to Slovakia. The decision is still subject to appeal. You can send me your tips on good news stories about Slovakia or funny memes at: [email protected]. Thank you!