The Jews of Lemberg: A Journey to Empty Places

A hundred years ago Lemberg (also known as Lviv and Lwow) was part of the Habsburg Empire and famed for its splendour and rich cultural life. Until the German occupation in 1941, a Jewish community of over 100,000 people lived in Lwow. When the Soviet Union annexed the city in 1944, virtually all the Jews had disappeared in the Holocaust, and the Polish and ethnic German inhabitants were expelled while Ukrainians and Russians took their places. For seven hundred years, Jews made major contributions to the culture, economy, and social life of the city. The Nazis not only exterminated the Jews, but also did their best to wipe out all traces of them. This is the first comprehensive book about the Jews of Lviv. This book includes three life-stories of Jewish survivors, whose lives are interwoven with the tragic history of the city. All three life-stories are accompanied by a chapter on material places and their histories. In these, attention is not only paid to the past, but also to the contemporary Jewish community in Lviv. Carefully selected pictures enrich the text throughout, and the book includes a visitor’s map of the town. Also included is a list of literature and websites for further information. [Subject: Jewish Studies, History, Holocaust Studies, Polish Studies]