Dear listmembers!

As a Lviv citizen and a Lviv guide I may say concerning the "Destruction of
synagogue Golden-Roiz in Lviv", that fortunately the situation is not so
tragic. The survived after WW2 remnants of Golden Rose (the Northern wall
and interior space) have remained unchanged. Some neighbouring part of the
territory of the former medieval Jewish blocks for some period (not just
now, it started earlier) have been used as a cite for construction of a new
hotel. This process was associated with long-period archeological
investigations, which gave interesting results, and, unfortunately, with
damage to neighbouring old building, the last fact caused protests in local
mass-media. Due to some data, the hotel owners promised to restore the
former Yeshiva building, to keep valuable archeological findings, belonging
to the religious complex.

Such facts for sure should be checked and controlled (preferably by the
objective specialists - architectors and archeologists), as well as the
possible influence of the construction on the Golden Rose remnants.

Euro-2012 have really caused many different, mainly temporary problems. At
the same time, ethnic relations and general situation in Lviv are,
fortunately, very far >from the picture given in the mentioned article. Lviv
still keeps the traditions of ethnic and religious tolerance, the image of a
beautiful European multi-cultural city, friendly to it's citizens and foreign
visitors.

Named article has also many other mistakes. Some of them:
1. There are the monuments to Holokost victims at the territory of former
WW2 getto and former Janiv death camp, many memorial plates in corresponding
memorial places (in particular, near the Golden Rose). They are visited and
honored by many people.
2. Golden Rose is one of the most valuable remnants, but, fortunately, in
Lviv there are still many other interesting objects of Jewish heritage.
3. In the pre-WW2 period the Jews comprised approximately 30% of Lviv
population.
4. Lviv citadel was used as a concentration camp for Soviet, French and
Italian POWs, but not for the Lviv Jews (the Nazi "prepared" for the Jews
WW2 getto, Janiv death camp and other forced labor camps, death camp in
Belzhec and so on).

Igor Holyboroda, a Lviv guide
http://people.polynet.lviv.ua/iholybor