Despite COVID-19 restrictions, Sasha Nazar, of the L’viv Volunteer Center (LVC) of the Hesed Arieh All-Ukrainian Jewish Charitable Foundation, has been moving forward with restoration work on the Jacob Glanzer synagogue in Lviv — and his progress has been getting recognition in the media.
Last month, during a #SaveJewishHeritage flash mob, volunteers restored the women’s entrance and decorative ironwork gate.
Here’s a TV report on the restoration work from August 31 … even if you don’t speak Ukrainian, you can see some of what is being done — and what needs to be done.
Another video report, from August 25, shows other details of the work and of the condition of the building, with a focus on how Sasha and his group of volunteers have been able to use silicone molds made by specialists from Kharkiv to recreate stucco fittings.
“Now we have the opportunity to restore the ceiling in the great hall of the synagogue. It is a long process, but it is important that we have started it,” he said in a Facebook post.
The Glanzer synagogue is one of only two synagogue buildings in Lviv that survive intact.
Known for its tall arched windows, it was built in 1841-44 and remodeled in 1912. Its complex has been used since 1991 as a Jewish cultural center, but the sanctuary has been empty for some time and the building is in poor condition. In 2012, previously unknown wall paintings were discovered. They include at least three large pictures situated on the southern wall, under the women’s galleries, depicting (according to partly readable inscriptions) Babylonian rivers, the Jerusalem Temple and Western Wall. Some remnants of color can be seen also in the piers between the windows, around the place of the Torah ark and on the ceiling.