A rich, public Jewish heritage program that combines lectures, round-table discussions and on-site presentations is currently under way in L’viv, Ukraine.
“Jewish Days at City Tower” started July 28 and continues until August 10. It centers on the history and culture of Jews L’viv and in eastern and central Europe in general, with a particular focus on heritage issues such how the notion of heritage is treated, and how the history of the city and dialogue in society are perceived.
The series touches on several key topics and questions that are specific to L’viv but also come into play when discussing Jewish and other heritage elsewhere:
— whom does heritage belongs to and who should be responsible for its preservation?
— Is the history of a separate community important to help understand the history of an entire city?
— Why are attitudes towards Jewish history in Ukraine often based on myth? What myths about the past are popular in Lviv? What does it all mean for the development of modern open society in Ukraine?
The program was organized by the L’viv Center for Urban History of East and Central Europe; the German Society for International Cooperation GIZ; the Office for Preservation of Historical Environment of Lviv City Council; and the Office for Culture of Lviv City Council. It takes place under the patronage of the Honorary Consulate of the State of Israel in L’viv.
Organizers note that the program is related to the initiative “Synagogue Space: Jewish History, Common Heritage and Responsibility” that was launched July 15 with an exhibition by the American photographer Jason Francisco on “The Golden Rose” synagogue.
Synagogue Space is an initiative to commemorate the history of Jews in Lviv, to understand the tragedy of Holocaust, common past and heritage, and to create new memorial and educational spaces in the city. The first stage of project implementation is the conservation of the Golden Rose synagogue remains, marking out the Beth Hamidrash site (House of Learning) that used to be found next to the synagogue, and mounting a memorial installation “Perpetuation”.