The Art of Memory

The first part of the "Space of Synagogues" project opens for the public. The memorial marks the site of the Beth Hamidrash (The House of Learning) and the conserved ruins of the Golden Rose Synagogue, the heart of Jewish spiritual life in Lviv destroyed during the Shoah.

In addition to the official opening ceremony and the workshop , at 8.00 pm the site of the Great City Synagogue will host an art program "The Art of Memory: Voices of the City". It combines media art and a music concert by a chamber orchestra. The media installation by Oleh Voronkko and James Fidler will refer to the Perpetuation installation and include the quotes projected onto the preserved walls of the Golden Rose synagogue, Beth Hamidrash and the nearby buildings. The concert directed by Ostap Manuliak will include pieces by Josef Koffler and Mark Kopytman. Music and visual constructs shall signify the multiplicity of memories and experiences of the city. They will emphasize the significance of diversity in past and present societies.

With the help of these events, we are trying to explore the various ways of engaging with Jewish history, conceptualizing heritage and imagining possible formats to highlight the stories of multiple places in Ukraine, which, for many centuries, had been sites of Jewish culture and life. Doing so will help to situate The Space of Synagogues as new memorial space in Lviv, in the context of numerous initiatives in Ukraine and Europe in general. Thereby we hope to demonstrate that remembering has as much to do with the future as with the past