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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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