Exhibition "Before and After"

The small exhibition hall of the Lviv Museum of the History of Religion welcomed the Opening of the Exhibition of Ritual Silver of Judaism Exhibition "Before and After".

The Museum of the History of Religion is one of two Lviv museums with holdings of priceless artifacts of Jewish culture. The museum’s Judaism collection has been assembled over the last three decades and numbers in the thousands. A portion of the collection is viewable in the standing "Judaism" exhibit.

In 2011, in a cooperative effort with the Center for Urban History, the Museum initiated research and documentation of the Judaism collection, the restoration and/or preservation of selected pieces, resulting in greater public access to the reworked collection both as a standing exhibition, in special exhibits, and additional online resources. Professor Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek, a scholar in Judaism and independent curator from Vienna, was engaged to draw up the restoration process, systemization, and documentation of the objects. In order to familiarize both local and international audiences with the collection, the online Judaism resource website was created. The reworked sacral objects are regularly added to the site.

This exhibition is the result of a joint effort and an excellent opportunity for Lvivites and guests to the city to learn about this excellent portion of the Judaism collection which had earlier been largely unavailable to the public. 10 pieces will be on exhibit, all of which had at one time been in regular use in traditional ritual practices in Synagogues or Jewish families. Time, the tragedy of the Second World War, and inadequate maintenance and care of these museum pieces were responsible for their poor condition. Photos made prior to the restoration process will also be displayed as a part of the exhibit, providing a sense of the extent of the work accomplished in the research and restoration process. Additional materials outline the provenance and history of the objects.

For further information regarding the exhibition contact the exhibition curator and head of the "Judaism Department", Maksym Martyn. Tel: + 38 093 1545340, e-mail [email protected]