Summer is the season for volunteer clear up initiatives — and many are going on, in several countries. Almost all deal specifically with Jewish cemeteries, but in Ukraine, one will focus on a former synagogue building as well as on a cemetery — the former synagogue and the Jewish cemetery in the town of Staryi Sambir, not far from L’viv.
The initiative, August 8-13, is organized by the L’viv Volunteer Center as part of a project organized in cooperation with the city administration, which we posted about in February.
The clean-up will entail clearing the synagogue of debris and renovating its roof. The plans are for the building, which according to the Center for Jewish Art is a Hasidic synagogue that dates from the 19th century, to be used in the future as an “open space” where cultural events will be held, and there are also plans to install a permanent exhibit about local Jewish history and traditions.
Click here for the Center for Jewish Art page on Staryi Sambir
Click here for detailed architectural description of the synagogue, by Center for Jewish Art
3 comments on “Ukraine: volunteer clean-up — for a Synagogue (as well as Cemetery)”
Rohatyn Jewish Heritage was proud to take part in this summer’s work camp.
The LVC cleared vegetation twice in Rohatyn at the new Jewish cemetery in May 2017.
The ornate tombstone shown above, with its unusual artistic motif of two Torah scrolls, is that of Rabbi Yehoshua Alexander Goldreich the author of the book Yeshuos Yisrael. The book is available to read online at hebrewbooks.org.
Thank you!