A Call from Our Ancestors: Return to Lonovitz - continued from page 3

Not far away from the massacre site is the Kleparov train station in L’viv. This station still operates as it

Vol. 14, #3, 2006 East European Genealogical Society. Spring 2006 East European Genealogist ... 17

was before and during the war. At this station people from the Ghetto and concentration camps were gathered to be sent to other concentration camps in Belzets and Auschwitz. A plaque on the side of the station building reads:

Kleparov Station, the last stop of Lvov’s Jews before being expelled and put to death in gas chambers in Belzets. The station served as passage for all Galician Jews on their way to death. About 300,000 Jews passed here in trains from March, 1942 till the beginning of 1943.

We stopped next at the Lemberg-L’vov-L’viv Cemetery. Thousands of people are buried there; part of the cemetery is Jewish, part Christian. Most graves are completely enclosed by chain link fences from all sides and above, which helps prevent vandalism. Our last stop brought us to the middle of the former Jewish Quarter of downtown L’viv. We stood in front of a part of the wall that used to belong to a very famous and ancient synagogue called “Dee Golden Royseh,” the Golden Rose. Legend has it that it was named after the wife of Rabbi Nachman, whose name was Rose. Pablo Romano, a famous Italian architect, built the synagogue in 1580-95. It was destroyed by the Nazis during World War II. What was left were portions of two walls. The synagogue was surrounded by other buildings that were also part of the medieval Jewish Section. It was typical in those times to build a synagogue inside private property. In the Middle Ages private property was respected. It was diffi cult for vandals of all kinds and anti-Semites to get to the synagogue to destroy it or to steel from it.

There is history of the Jewish people who lived in L’viv. During the 14th-15th centuries Jews lived in what is now called the Krakov suburb. It used to be a central part of the town; later the center moved northeast, and the Jewish quarter of the downtown was established there. These were Jews who came from Germany into Poland, and then, into the Ukraine. There were two Jewish communities and relations between them were not so good. The reason for this was because these newcomers from Germany were not considered to be “original citizens” of the community, as the “local” Jews were. Friday, October 11, 2002 – Goodbye to L’viv Sol and I took a walk on the streets around the George Hotel, looking for a place to have a light breakfast. Sol decided it was his duty to learn how to read the Ukrainian language and began familiarizing himself with the Cyrillic alphabet; Alex had written it down for him, with instructions as to how each letter sounded. I was amazed how quickly Sol became acquainted with the alphabet. He was able to pronounce the words on quite a few of the advertising signs. Very impressive. We returned to the hotel to meet Alex. I had asked Alex for permission to interview him about his family and background before we left L’viv, and he agreed. This was the second interview I had with Alex; the fi rst took place earlier in the week while Alex was driving us from one shtetl to the others. After we ended the interview, we checked out of the George Hotel. Because there was some time left before we had to be at the airport, Alex fi rst took us to a small outdoor market. Sol bought his wife, Katherine, a beautiful embroidered blouse. I purchased an interesting necklace. We also had a delicious lunch at a pizza restaurant nearby. From there, we were taken to a large outdoor/indoor type of market in L’viv. We walked up and down through a bunch of small shops selling retail items. Then Alex drove us to the L’viv airport.

We sadly said our goodbyes to Alex with the hope that when he does get the opportunity to visit the States with his family, we will see each other again. As has been said by others who hired Alex Dunai to be their researcher and guide, we, too, felt so fortunate and grateful for the dividends his hard work had paid. The trip would not have been successful without his expertise in research and dealing with people. The information we gathered through his efforts is invaluable! We could not have asked for a better guide; he will always be our valued friend. Sol was so taken with Alex and the manner in which he treats his clients, that he returned to the Ukraine with his wife Katherine, in late June 2003, again with his son, Michael in 2004, and will again return with his wife in late August 2005.

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