As the Jewish High Holy Days draw to a close, the focus of the Jewish community shifts from the solemnity of Yom Kippur to the jubilant celebration of the festival of Sukkoth. In the Jewish diaspora Sukkoth is an eight-day festival beginning on the fifth day after Yom Kippur. Sukkath is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, which refer to special huts, called sukkah, that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before reaching the Promised Land. During Sukkath, observant Jews build similar huts and live in them during this eight-day festival. We do this in modern times to get closer to the Almighty, and remember how G-d protected the Jews in the desert thousands of years ago. The huts, or sukkah, must be built a certain way. There are four walls, usually of wood. The roof is made of a special material called “schach.” Today bamboo is commonly used, but in days before there was no bamboo in Ukraine, tree branches with leaves were used. The roof must allow us to see the stars in the sky, to remind us of our connection to heaven and the Almighty. Of course, if […]

In the Jewish faith, Yom Kippur is known as the  Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur, or Soodny Den’in Ukrainian, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for Jews, as the focus is on atonement and repentance. Yom Kippur completes the annual period known in Judaism as the High Holy Days … or in Hebrew, Yamim Nora’im, meaning “Days of Awe.” According to Jewish tradition, on Rosh Hashanah G-d inscribes each person’s fate for the coming year into the Book of Life, and waits until Yom Kippur to “seal” the verdict. During the Days of Awe, a Jew tries to amend his or her behavior, and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against G-d and against other human beings. The end of Yom Kippur brings absolution by G-d. The ten days leading up to Yom Kippur are known as the Ten Days of Repentance. During this period Jews are encouraged to seek out anyone they may have offended, and sincerely request forgiveness, so that the New Year can begin with a clean slate. This process of repentance is called teshuvah in Hebrew and it is a crucial part of Yom Kippur. Despite what many people may think, transgressions from the previous year are not forgiven through prayer, fasting and participation in […]

The name for the Jewish New Year is Rosh Hashana, which in Hebrew means the “head of the year.” It is one of the most important religious holidays for Jews … a day of awe and fear, but also a day of celebration. In 2013 (the Jewish Year of 5774), Jews in Ukraine, Israel and around the world observed Rosh Hashana from sundown on Wednesday, September 4th until sundown on Friday, September 6th. Rosh Hashana remembers the creation of the world. It’s a time for continuous introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and making plans to do better in the new year… to do Teshuvah – returning to the paths of the Almighty. Rosh Hashana is also called the Feast of the Trumpets, as the central observance of the holiday is the sounding of the the shofar, a ram’s horn. This sound is to awaken souls from their “slumbers” and alert them to the coming judgment. It is a reminder to dedicate one’s life to serving the Almighty and to follow His commandments. The cry of the shofar is also a call to repentance. As the anniversary of man’s first sin, Rosh Hashanah is the first […]

Sambir is an administrative centre for the Lviv region, or Raion, located 73 kilometers from the city of Lviv. Founded in 1199, Sambir has a rich Jewish history, little of which remains. The first mention of Jews living in Sambir dates back to 1447.Over the years, conflicts between Christian and Jewish merchants arose. This led to royal decrees in the mid-fifteen hundreds restricting Jews from trading or living within the city. As a result, the Jews settled outside the city … in an area called Blich, or Bleich in Yiddish. The name comes from the craft of bleaching fabrics. The community thrived. Because the Jewish merchants were more industrious and resourceful than their Christian counterparts, they controlled commerce in Sambir. In 1629 there were almost 2000 Jews living in the Blich quarter. In 1732 they were granted permission to build a synagogue and create a cemetery. By 1910, the town had a Jewish library, school and theater. In 1920s, around 80% of the town’s population were Jews, 18% Ukrainians, and 2% Poles. On September 8th 1939 the German army attacked Sambir, plundering Jewish property and assaulting Jewish workers. Less than two weeks later, Sambir was taken over by the Red Army. The Soviets began nationalizing private businesses, and by 1941, few privately owned shops remained. Many wealthy and middle class Jews were sent to Siberia. In June 1941the Nazis returned […]

The Legion of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen (Січові Стрілці) in Ukrainian, was the first Ukrainian military unit of the 20th century. The Sich fought on the side of Austria-Hungary, with dreams of an independent Ukraine in the near future. Among the Sich Riflemen were many Ukrainians of Jewish descent. Ludwig Rosenberg, also known as Volodymyr Chorniy (Володимир Чорний), was a highly honoured senior member of the Sich Riflemen. Unfortunately, in the early 1920s, he was seduced, then betrayed, by communist ideology—which left him a broken, and marked, man. Rosenberg was close friends with well known Ukrainian independence activists Roman Dashkevych and Olena Stepaniv. Their son, Yaroslav Dashkevych, would become one of the founding members of Lviv’s Jewish Heritage. Yaroslav’s mother, Olena Stepaniv, was the first Ukrainian woman officer and a cornet of the Січові Стрілці. His father, Roman Dashkevych, was a general in the Ukrainian National Republic Army. Yaroslav was born to Olena and Roman Dashkevych in 1925. He became an Honorary Scientist of Ukraine and an illustrious scholar who worked with the Hrushevsky Institute of Archeography and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. In 2008, two years before he passed away, Professor Dashkevich shared his recollections of Ludwig […]

Zhovkva is a beautiful and extraordinary town located 25 kilometers from Lviv … an easy day trip away. From its earliest days, Zhovkva’s population was a mix of Poles, Ukrainians and Jews. Today the towan’s architectural, historical and cultural diversity make it popular with tourists. More than 27,000 visited last year. Zhovkva was founded in 1594 as a private town, by Polish military commander Stanislaw Zolkiewski. It soon became a center of religious life, arts and commerce. In the 17th century the Polish king established a royal residence there. The Jewish community’s roots in Zhovkva run deep. The oldest Jewish tombstone in Zhvovka dates back to 1610. In 1690, local Jews established a Hebrew printing press, and a Jewish tailors’ guild dates back to 1693. By the eighteenth century, Zhvovka was an important center of Jewish study, worship, and administration for Jewish communities in the area. In the late 1690s, a magnificent synagogue with a late-Renaissance appearance was built for the rapidly growing community. It was an outstanding example of a fortress synagogue. Designed to protect Jews from invasions, it had a passageway to the roof, and underground shelters. Over the centuries, the synagogue underwent a number of restorations. The […]

Ukraine’s Jewish community is fighting to restore a historical treasure in the heart of Lviv. This treasure is the “Golden Rose” — also known as Turei Zahav — and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Golden Rose is the oldest synagogue in Ukraine. It is also renowned as one of the oldest and most beautiful synagogues in all of Europe. The synagogue was built in 1582, and it was one of the most spectacular Renaissance architectural landmarks of the city. Initially it was built as a private synagogue for Yitzhak Nachmanovych. He was a senior of the Jewish Assembly in Lviv and one of the city’s wealthiest residents. In 1603 the Polish king granted the lands on which his synagogue stood to the Roman Catholic church. The church wanted it as a monastery for the Jesuits. But in 1609, the synagogue was returned to the Jewish community — upon payment of a ransom of 20,600 guilders. Legend has it that the synagogue was saved by a woman — the daughter-in-law of its founder, Yitzhak Nachmanovych. The woman’s name was Rosa. She was known in the community as the Golden Rose because she was very kind. Rosa saw, and […]