L'viv

pop 728,350

Ukraine

June 10. 2018

Nataliya is my excellent, imformative and gracious guide here in L'viv.

We wander together in the City Center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and then climb the hill for a panoramic view.

I am intrigued by an image of Christ atop the old Chapel of Boim. The figure is seated in a thoughtful pose that reminds me of "The Thinker," the Auguste Rodin sculpture.  Is there any connection between the two?

I am especially saddened at the site and the ruins of the Golden Rose Synagogue.  Also known as the Nachmanowicz Synagogue, it was the oldest Jewish place of worship in Ukraine.  The synagogue was built in 1582 and was destroyed by the Nazis 1942.

The Golden Rose Synagoge is the perfect example of the Twentieth Century destruction of Jewish life in Ukraine - a culture that dates back a thousand years or more.  Before War War Two, more than one million Jews lived in Ukraine.  Almost all were shot during the German invasion in 1941 and 1942.  Some were deported to slave labor camps.

In L'viv, I stay at the elegant and expensive Modern Art Hotel where, in a bright and spacious suite, i can relax and "decompress" and think about my journey in Ukraine.