- The first Jewish families settled on the outskirts of Subotica in 1775.
- Some years later, the Jewish people of the city asked for and got permission to form their own religious community.
- Subotica’s first synagogue was built at the beginning of the 19th century.
- At that time, 43 Jewish families lived in Subotica. The first rabbi was appointed and a prosperous era for the community began.
- Jews were accepted as traders and craftsmen. As they were not forbidden to try their hand in new fields, they played a key role in the industrialisation of the city, and many were educated to become doctors, lawyers, and clerks.
- Soon, a synagogue, a ritual bath- mikveh, and a Jewish orphanage were built in town.
- The Great Synagogue was built thanks to support from well-off members of the Jewish community in 1902.
- During this period, much of the city’s industry and commerce had already been established by the Jewish community.
- More than 6,000 Jews from Subotica were deported in World War II. Tragically, only a thousand of them survived the Holocaust. More than half of those who survived the Nazi death camps immigrated to the newly formed Jewish state: Israel.
- The Jewish community in Subotica today has about 250 members.
- Members of the Jewish community gather on Friday nights for the Shabbath and observe other religious holidays in the so-called Winter Synagogue.
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